Growing up listening to Schubert’s song The Shepherd on the Rock from her father’s record collection inspired musician Jody Harrison in 2005 to commission a work featuring clarinet, voice and piano. The result, the song cycle Blackwood, is a West Australian celebration. With a text by Perth cellist and poet Kevin Gillam, Iain Grandage composed 10 songs as “a life and love story entwined with the journey of the Blackwood River from the southwest to the ocean, linking with the black wood of the clarinet”.
It was written for clarinettist Allan Meyer, soprano Sara Macliver and pianist Graeme Gilling. Meyer was mentored by Harrison’s father Jack, who was principal clarinet for the WASO for many years. The digital streaming release, recorded live at the 2011 premiere as part of the Perth International Arts Festival, is a welcome addition to this rare combination of voice and instruments.
There is a smooth and natural flow between the songs, some of which have repeated motifs. The liquid, woody tone of Meyer’s clarinet is perfect for conveying the movement of water and the sounds of birdlife, while Gilling’s piano creates the varied atmospheres. One song, Seine, has an impressionistic patina to conjure a couple’s lovemaking on the riverbank, while another calls up the night and the rustle of wildlife. It all ends joyfully as the river joins the Southern Ocean.
Macliver is one of our most expressive sopranos and her distinctive pure tone and poetic discernment make this a highly attractive package that deserves a wider audience.
Composer: Iain Grandage
Work: Blackwood
Performers: Allan Meyer cl, Sara Macliver s, Graeme Gilling p
Label: Stream or purchase at gyro.to/Blackwood
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