The music on this album was originally written for a dance piece by Australian artist Ken Unsworth with The Australian Dance Artists premiered 31 October 2017 in Sydney.

Inspired by the kinetic physicality and aesthetics of balance found in Ken Unsworth's work, Moore's music embodies a feeling of suspension between movement and stasis. Evolving and revolving melodies, poised skillfully in poly-rhythmic structures, the music creates an intoxicating and emotional impression. There is a feeling of constant motion and flow of sonic currents that typifies much of Kate Moore's music.

The music shifts from the material world, the gradually shifting stone-like cycles of the title track "Revolver", the restrained power and poignancy of "The Boxer" to the various slow unfurling melodies of the tightrope inspired "Song Of Ropes", and finally to a contemplation of the immaterial in "Way Of The Dead".

The pieces are performed with extraordinary virtuosity by the musicians Anna McMichael, Rowena Macneish, Kirsty McCahon, Genevieve Lang and Claire Edwardes. This album is Kate Moore's first collaboration with Unsounds. Anna McMichael has released several projects with the label.

Tracklist

1. Revolver (7:41)
2. The Boxer (7:10)
3. Stroming (5:45)
4. Trio (Song of Ropes) (5:09)
5. Song of Ropes I - solo cello (3:15)
6. Song of Ropes II - solo cello (4:45)
7. Way Of The Dead (10:56)
8. Gatekeeper (6:11)

Revolver (excerpt)

The Boxer (excerpt)

Notes on Revolver

BIOGRAPHIES

Kate Moore, composer

Kate Moore is an internationally acclaimed composer and sound artist. In 2017 she was awarded the prestigious Dutch award for composition, The Matthijs Vermeulen Prize. Her works are performed by, among others, Asko|Schönberg, Bang on a Can, Icebreker, Slagwerk Den Haag, Ensemble Offspring, The Australian String Quartet and The Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2018/19 she was Zielsverwanten composer in residence at The Muziekgebouw aan het 'Ij and 2018 composer in focus at November Music where she was commissioned to write the Bosch Requiem Lux Aeterna. In 2017 she was commissioned by The Holland Festival Sacred Environment premiered at the Concertgebouw by the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orkest and Omroepkoor. She holds a doctorate from the University of Sydney/ Conservatorium of Music, a masters from The Royal Conservatory of The Hague and an honours degree from The Australian National University / Canberra School of Music where she majored in composition and electroacoustic composition and was awarded the university medal.

Anna McMichael, violin

Anna is a violinist, festival director and educator in demand as an experienced musician able to perform diverse styles of music from early to experimental. She enjoyed a successful career in Europe before returning to Australia in 2010. Anna performed with the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra, Amsterdam Sinfonietta, Royal Concertgebouw, and with ensembles including the ASKO Ensemble, Schønberg Ensemble, Nieuw Ensemble, Ives Ensemble, and Ensemble MAE. She also played with the Netherlands Opera and with the London Sinfonietta, and in Germany with Ensemble Modern and as leader of MusikFabrik. Anna has toured many major European festivals and given premieres by leading international composers. She performs regularly with groups including: Ensemble Offspring, Australian Haydn Ensemble, Sydney Chamber Opera, Omega Ensemble, Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra, Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, Australian World Orchestra, and is a core member of leading early music specialists, Ironwood. She performs at many festivals around Australia and has recorded her own CD on the Dutch label Unsounds, and two CDs on the Tall Poppies label. Anna has been Co-Artistic Director of the NSW Tyalgum Music Festival since 2014. She joined the School of Music at Monash University as Coordinator of Strings in 2019.

Genevieve Lang, harp

Genevieve Lang has performed regularly as Guest Principal and section harpist with the Sydney Symphony and Australian Opera & Ballet Orchestra. She has also enjoyed a long association with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra as Guest Principal harpist. Genevieve is a founding member of SHE (Seven Harp Ensemble). Under the direction of harpist Alice Giles, SHE has commissioned numerous works by Australian composers including Schultz, Sitsky, Wesley-Smith and Edwards, and has toured to America, China, and locally around NSW and Victoria. Genevieve has appeared as soloist with the Tasmanian, West Australian and New Zealand symphony orchestras. She has also toured internationally with the Tasmanian and Sydney Symphony orchestras to the United States, Japan and Europe. Genevieve is dedicated to sharing her passion for classical music with audiences, and now presents on ABC Classic, Australia's classical music station.

Claire Edwardes, percussion

Internationally acclaimed percussion soloist, chamber musician and artistic director of Ensemble Offspring, Claire Edwardes has been described by the press as a ‘sorceress of percussion’ performing with ‘spellbinding intensity’ and ‘graceful virtuosity’.Her award-winning performances combine a theatrical energy with charismatic and original interpretations bringing to life the varied array of music she performs. Claire is the only Australian musician to win the 'APRA Art Music Award for Excellence by an Individual' three times (2016, 2012, 2007), was the recipient of a recent Australia Council and a Freedman Fellowship and the winner of numerous European (resident there for seven years) instrumental and percussion competitions as well as 1999 Australian Young Performer of the Year. Recently appearing as soloist with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra at the Myer Music Bowl and on Play School to an audience of thousands of children. Claire is passionate about percussion and new sounds being widely disseminated.

Rowena MacNeish, cello

Cellist Rowena MacNeish performs with the Sydney Symphony & Opera Australia Orchestra and Australian Chamber Orchestra. She received a full scholarship to undertake postgraduate study at the Royal Academy of Music in London with David Strange and was a member of the Southbank Sinfonia in London and performed at Covent Garden, Queen Elizabeth Hall and festivals throughout Europe. In Australia she studied at Australian National Academy of Music in Melbourne with Nelson Cooke and Michael Goldschlager. Following this she undertook the Sydney Symphony Fellowship program. She holds a Bachelor of Music from Sydney Conservatorium studying with Susan Blake and is a founding member of the Sydney Omega Ensemble.

Kirsty McCahon, double bass

Kirsty McCahon is Australia's leading practitioner of Historical Performance on the double bass and violone. She is the Principal Bass of Pinchgut, Brisbane Baroque, Orchestra of The Antipodes and former Principal Double Bass of the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, a position she held for 20 years. She has performed in the Brodsky Quartet, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Musica Viva, Halcyon, Australian Festival of Chamber Music, Mornington Peninsula Festival, Les Talents Lyrique and L'Arpeggiata. Her background includes extensive performing, recording and touring throughout Europe with ensembles such as Ensemble Itineraire, Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique and ELISION. Awarded a Churchill Fellow in 2001, Kirsty has been recognised as an Honorary Fellow at the University of Melbourne for Services to Orchestral Music. A passionate supporter of young women and girls, Kirsty was an invited mentor at the inaugural Sydney “Women of the World” conference in 2014.

Bob Scott, sound engineer

Bob is an internationally awarded audio engineer, music producer and sound designer with experience in music production, theatre sound design, location recording, broadcast, film and audio consultation in Australia, Europe and Asia. In particular, he focuses on contemporary classical music, sound installations, jazz and acoustic music, and specialises in both mixing live for performance or broadcast, and working in the studio. The last year has seen him output a diverse range of work from producing from Paul Kelly's Thirteen Ways to Look at Birds to Assembly by Angelica Mesiti for the Venice Bienniale and recently won the sound design award for Howling Girls in the Tokyo World Festival.