Spirit Weapons

7:30pm, 22 July 2001
Brisbane
Queensland Biennial Festival of Music

ELISION Ensemble
Pierre-André VALADE, conductor

Michaël JARRELL Essaims-Cribles (1987-88)

solo bass clarinet and flute/alto flute, bass clarinet I, bass clarinet II, horn, trombone, harp, percussion, piano/celeste/organ, viola, violoncello, contrabass
AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE

Michael SMETANIN Vault

flute, clarinet, percussion, harp, guitar, violin, contrabass

Liza LIM Spirit Weapons (2000)

violoncello, contrabass clarinet and three percussion
AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE

René WOHLHAUSER Quantenströmung (1996)

harp, viola, flute
AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE

Michael VAUGHAN Infinite Skies  . . .  (1996/7)

flute/bass flute, clarinet, trumpet, trombone, koto, harp, 10-string guitar, percussion, contrabass
WORLD PREMIERE

Spirit Weapons continues upon the French focus of ELISION Ensemble begun earlier in July with the ONE × 2 event. Prominent French conductor Pierre-André VALADE conducts ELISION in a concert featuring the Australian premieres of two composers rarely heard within Australia--Michaël JARRELL (France) and René WOHLHAUSER (Switzerland). A featured soloist is ELISION's clarinettist Anthony BURR.

Also included in the concert is the Australian premiere of Liza LIM's Spirit Weapons, a part of a much larger chamber work entitled Machine for Contacting the Dead. Both of these pieces were written for and commissioned by the renowned Ensemble InterContemporain of Paris.

Guest composers to Australia include René WOHLHAUSER (Switzerland) and Michael VAUGHAN (UK) for performances of their work and Michael SMETANIN's Vault, an early staple of ELISION repertoire, enjoys its Brisbane premiere.

Spirit Weapons is presented by ELISION Ensemble with the assistance of Pro-Helvetia, The British Council, the French Consulate, Arts Queensland and The University of Queensland. ELISION, Australia's national new music ensemble, gratefully acknowledges the assistance of the Commonwealth of Australia through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body, and the The University of Queensland through the Office of the Vice Chancellor, Professor John HAY