Centrifuge (2022)

for orchestra (2.2.2.2 4.2.3.1, tmp, 2 perc, hp, strings (8.6.5.4.3))

Duration: 18’

Commissioned by the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra

Premiered 1 December 2023 by the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra and Eivind Aadland

Stream audio here for a limited time by ABC Classic

Program Note

Centrifuge is the last in a series of works written especially for the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra during my time as composer in residence. Cast in four movements, it is also my longest commissioned work for orchestra to date! Centrifuge is inspired by the sounds of demolition, an MRI machine, and the idea of spinning or circling at different rates.

As I began writing the work, demolition began next door, and my studio had a front row seat. The demolition lasted a full week, from dawn to dusk, and highly impacted the shape and textures heard in the work. The more I listened, the more I detected rhythmic patterns in the thudding and crushing of excavators and dozers. I became quite well acquainted with the different machine attachments for various tasks! Although highly destructive, it was fascinating to see the precision required in maneuvering such beasts.

At the same time, I developed an RSI injury (coincidentally from composing!) and was subjected to an MRI scan. I had heard anecdotally that the machine would be loud, but even with earplugs in nothing could prepare me for the incessant banging and whirring of the machine. It was almost comical how rapidly the sound could change, as the machine suddenly captured images in the opposite direction. Add to this the headphones offered with calming and gentle piano music, and I knew I had the beginnings of a piece! As the machine beeped and stuttered, soothing piano strains could faintly be heard across the top. It was hard to believe anyone could be comforted by this.

In this way, the idea for each movement is predominately texture driven, where large slabs of sounds are contrasted with threads that peek through, only to be swallowed up again. This happens at different rates across each movement, starting ferociously in the first and stretching into a type of slow-motion in the final movement. The second movement takes on a ballad-like blues form, with violin as soloist, while the third embraces disco influences, underpinned by groovy bass. In a true centrifugal way, musical material from each movement spins outwards into the next.     

(If you’ve heard my previous work Hi-Vis, you’d be forgiven for thinking construction/deconstruction is a recurring theme!)