THOUSANDS OF BUNDLED STRAW

A song cycle in seven parts by composer David Young

David Young is preoccupied with exploring the relationship between sound and image, employing intricate and often miniature formats in unconventional settings. The music has been variously described as ‘musical origami’, ‘an aural equivalent of seeing a world in a grain of sand’.

This major song-cycle is inspired by an ancient myth of the Temple of the Healing Eyes in far-western Japan and features five eggs, 12 instrumentalists and soprano Deborah Kayser, who consistently delights audiences worldwide with the rare sonic purity of her voice.

Premiered in 2005 at the Melbourne International Arts Festival after a decade of development in collaboration with the Libra Ensemble, Thousands of Bundled Straw returned to Melbourne as part of the opening season at Melbourne Recital Centre. The cycle was performed by an ensemble of Australian and international musicians, all leading interpreters of contemporary music, under the baton of Mark Knoop.

“complex, subtly nuanced and infinitesimally crafted” – RealTime 

CREDITS

Soprano – Deborah Kayser
Recorder – Tosiya Suzuki
Oboe – Adam Yee
Clarinets – Carl Rosman
Trumpet – Ben O’Callaghan
Trombone – Ben Marks
Percussion – Peter Neville
Piano – Timothy Young
Guitar – Geoffrey Morris
Violin – Elizabeth Sellars
Viola – Jason Bunn
Violoncello – Geoffrey Gartner
Contrabass – Dorit Herskovits
Conductor – Mark Knoop