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I became inspired to write this piece by a rather disparate selection of influences: the Golden Years permanent exhibit at the Te Papa Tongarewa museum in Wellington, Giacometti’s Women of Venice sculptures, and a photocopy of an old poster from the early 1900s.

I had been aware of Giacometti’s striking sculptures of emaciated figures, but hadn’t seen them in the flesh until the beginning of this year at an exhibition in Christchurch. I was particularly enamoured with Women of Venice, an apparently loosely arranged group of stationary female figures all facing straight ahead in a mesmerising and somewhat disarming display of trance-like fixed focus. I imagined a similar group of performers stationed about the stage like petrified soldiers risen from a swamp, who then come to life at random and begin to channel voices from their pasts. This idea of channelling voices was also inspired by the Golden Years exhibit, where museum patrons are lead into an old junk shop that has closed down for the day, only to find items in the shop seemingly coming to life in a display of a potted history of New Zealand.

I then came across a copy of Henry Wright’s infamous poster from the early 1900s cautioning women to abandon exercising any political assertions whatsoever. The poster read:

Notice to EPICENE WOMEN
Electioneering Women are requested not to call here

They are recommended to go home, to look after their children, cook their husbands’ dinners, empty the slops, and generally attend to the domestic affairs for which nature intended them.

By taking this advice they will gain the respect of all right-minded people – an end not to be attained by unsexing themselves and meddling in masculine concerns of which they are profoundly ignorant.

Henry Wright,
103 Mein Street,
Wellington

I found the poster amusing in its ridiculousness, and played with the words so as to make nonsense of them, or to blatantly give them a feminist angle. Here is an example of one of the tweaked versions:

Notice to Sloppy Children
Affairs of sloppy husbands are requested not to attend Wellington.

They are recommended to unsex their meddling masculine nature and generally concern themselves in their profoundly ignorant nature.

By taking this advice they will slop their children’s dinners by unsexing themselves – an end not to be attained by cooking their children or Henry Wright.

I also used John Cage’s method of ‘reading though’ the text using a mesostic with the words “EPICENE WOMEN”, as he did with James Joyce’s Finnegan’s “Wake” in his Roaratorio: an Irish Circus on Finnegan’s Wake (but using the name JAMES JOYCE).

Despite my amusement, I was struck by the use of the word “epicene” in the poster. It implied that women who involved themselves in politics must not really be women, renouncing their sexuality so as to cause infinite trouble with all the devilish potency of a coven of Lady Macbeths. Similar attitudes still exist today, particularly amongst women, and there is still an apparent suspicion of ‘tomboys’ as well as a tug of war between traditionalism and feminism within individuals. It is this ironic fact that interests me the most – that, despite the extraordinary amounts of courage and hard work from women of the past to be seen as equals with men, many women today unwittingly foster oppression by adhering to gender steriotypes.

In this piece I’ve played with aspects of bitchiness, misogyny, sadness, political fieriness, the natural unaffectedness of growing up rurally, the silliness yet appeal of TV commercials, the comfort of crackly old radio songs, and the determination and single-mindedness of women intent on having their voices heard. I’ve also been interested in the potential for double meanings by setting the texts in certain ways, an example being Helen Clarke’s statement about the struggles of her early parliamentary days being sung by the baritone voice. I consider this a rejection of the notion that all people must tidily fit into the category of male or female and therefore must at all times show undeniable evidence either way.

Claire Scholes

• Scholes, C.: Epicene Women; computer-set 

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• NZ Premieres 2008 Vol. 3 

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Milly Mae-Moet is dressed up like a picture, anticipating the carnival today, with carousels and horses, hot air balloons. Ribbons in her hair and petticoat of crinoline, dance in the wind. Mother Mae-Moet buys candy-floss and toffee, pretty balloons for her, darling Milly Mae grows stubborn and persistent, wants more balloons. She has dreams of flying, never gives up trying for one more balloon. Milly Mae-Moet is willful and unyielding she gets her way, one more balloon, to take her away. Happily flying away too high to save…

This piece tells the story of Milly Mae-Moet, the stubborn yet admirably driven girl who convinces her mother to buy her all the balloons at the carnival so she my fulfill her dream of flying. She happily ascends (much to her mothers distress) through the insect layer into the bird layer and eventually into infinity.

The piece is a combination of scored sections and work-shopped improvisations that were developed with the ensemble in December 2007.

• Rosie Langabeer: Milly Mae-Moet 

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• Zirkus! – Sirius Music 

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New Zealand Suite for Guitar is Bruce Paine’s first composition for classical guitar. The aim was to create a work with immediate appeal to guitarists and audiences alike, and one that might be considered suitable professional concert repertoire.

Written in the early part of 2007, the three movements of the suite were a response to the composers experience of the beautiful landscape and scenery of New Zealand’s South Island. The first piece Mountain Cascade echoes the movement of mountain streams in particular near Mount Cook, where the water tumbles and bounces over rocks then suddenly calms as it reaches a lake. Rotoiti Twilight conjures up the atmosphere of an evening stroll from the village of St Arnaud in the Nelson Lakes District to the tranquil shores of Lake Rotoiti. The Forest Awakens presents a contrasting morning scene, again on the shores of Rotoiti, where native birds sing passionately and animals stir along the “Bell Bird Walk”.

The intention was for this suite to be easily playable and a possible concert opener that would not be too physically demanding. To an extent this has been achieved but a reasonably high level of proficiency is required to achieve a convincing performance, particularly with the third movement that requires great dexterity and stamina.

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• Bruce Paine - Lateral Lines 

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This octet was commissioned by Donald Armstrong for Amici, and was composed early in 2007. It is a programmatic work in a single movement, divided into three sections. The first section, subtitled Octopus depicts the fluid and graceful movements of that mysterious seas creature. A quiet, flowing melody on violin symbolizes the Octopus, and is played in canon, before a more aggressive idea appears. The second main theme features horn and clarinet accompanied by the strings, and is glowing in character. A gently shimmering middle section is interrupted by suggestions of danger, leading to a climax. Following this, the main themes appear in reverse order, and a short clarinet solo leads the music directly into the second section, subtitled Sacrifice. After the female Octopus mates it stoically protects its eggs and slowly starves itself to death in the process. This section is characterized by slowly moving progressions, connected by glissandos, and a rising violin line that eventually leads to a lamenting bassoon solo that recalls the main theme of the first section. The bassoon solo speeds up and leads to the third section, Survival of the Small, in which the tiny Octopuses leave their mother to fight for their existence. Sinuous melodic lines contrast with an ominous-sounding second idea, leading to a rhythmic climax. The main theme only emerges following this, on the violin. A continuous stream of quavers through the movement is suggestive of a long journey. Towards the end the music settles harmonically and slowly fades; we hear fragments of the main Octopus theme returning on the horn.

This Octet was composed as part of the composer’s work at the University of Otago.

Note by Anthony Ritchie

• Ritchie, A.: Octet - Octopus; computer-set 

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Rona e te Marama was written for a collaboration between dancer Didik Nini Thowok, and Gamelans Taniwha Jaya and Padhang Moncar. In the traditional Maori Story, Rona goes out one night to fetch water. As she walks through the bush the moon disappears behind a cloud in the darkness Rona trips over a tree root. She curses the moon for making her fall. In retaliation the moon tries to pull Rona up into the sky. Rona grabs hold of a small shrub but the moon is too strong for her. Ever since, the story goes, if you look at the full moon you can see Rona there, still clutching the shrub.

The unusual combination of Balinese and Javanese gamelan in this piece contrasts the different tuning systems which are generally thought to be incompatible.

Gareth Farr

• Now I Know - New Music for Gamelan and Winds 

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• Biddington: Suite for Tenor Saxophone and Strings; computer set 

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• Eric Biddington: Rendez-vous  Year: 2007 

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The Sleep of Reason takes its name from a print by Goya. While the resonances of the full quotation from Goya “The sleep of reason brings forth monsters” might be seen to have wide ranging political and religious implications today, one could just ask the question – is this a piece of music conceived and articulated without reason? and if so – is it a monster?

• Harris: "The Sleep of Reason..."; computer-set 

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• Harris: The sleep of reason....; computer set 

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• Castro-Robinson: These arms to hold you; computer set 

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• De Castro-Robinson: These arms to hold you; computer-set 

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• Eve de Castro-Robinson: Releasing the Angel  Year: 2011 

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The string quartet is inspired by a poem by Mervyn Peake:

’Is there no Love can Link us?’

Is there no thread to bind us- I and he

Who is dying now, this instant as I write

And may be cold before this line’s complete?

And is there no power to link us- I and she

Across whose body the loud roof is falling?

Or the child, whose blackening skin

Blossoms with hideous roses in the smoke?

Is there no love can link us- I and they?

Only this hectic moment? This fierce instant

Striking now

Its universal, its uneven blow?

There is no other link. Only this sliding

Second we share: this desperate edge of now.

• Bowater: This Desperate Edge of Now; computer-set 

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• NZ Premieres 2008 Vol. 1 

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