After watching this captivating and highly mediative performance, it’s easy to see why Atlas of the Sky was awarded Performance of the Year in 2019 by the APRA AMCOS Australian Art Music Awards. This is a work that presents a rich, dramatic tableau prompting the audience to think deeply about the universe and cosmos, our place within it, and the ritualistic and primal nature that lies somewhere deep within all of us.

It was composed by the award-winning Liza Lim, who was recently appointed as the Sydney Conservatorium of Music’s inaugural Sculthorpe Chair of Australian Music, and who is one of Australia’s most revered contemporary classical composers. Her practice has a keen focus on the exploration of human relationships, and ancient and spiritual traditions, and within this work we see that come to life, with exceptional nuance.

Atlas of the Sky performed by Speak Percussion at Melbourne Recital Centre in 2018. Photograph © Bryony Jackson

Atlas of the Sky was commissioned and performed by boundary-breaking Speak Percussion, which is known for fostering deeply collaborative working relationships on their projects, and a mission to push through preconceived notions as to what percussion is. Speak Percussion is joined...