Peter Sculthorpe (born 1929), the dean of contemporary Australian composers, has had a remarkably prolific career, and Tall Poppies' release of the third volume of his string quartets in celebration of his 80th birthday is an indication that his age has in no way slowed him down. These string quartets, his 14th through his 17th, date from 1998 to 2007, and at the time of this release, he was at work on commissions for two more. Although his musical language has changed over the course of his career, a core commitment to the ...
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Peter Sculthorpe (born 1929), the dean of contemporary Australian composers, has had a remarkably prolific career, and Tall Poppies' release of the third volume of his string quartets in celebration of his 80th birthday is an indication that his age has in no way slowed him down. These string quartets, his 14th through his 17th, date from 1998 to 2007, and at the time of this release, he was at work on commissions for two more. Although his musical language has changed over the course of his career, a core commitment to the landscapes and cultures of Australia, and by extension, to the broader Pacific Rim, and to oppressed indigenous groups throughout the world, has provided the context for his musical thought. Each of the quartets recorded here is at least to some degree programmatic, several with a theme of identification with oppressed peoples, the 14th with the fate of Tasmanian Aboriginals, the 15th with the peoples of New Guinea, the 16th with the plight of asylum seekers detained by the...
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