Earth, Sea, and Sky: Reimagining Australian Guitar Landscapes
Author Identifier (ORCID)
Research Statement
Research Background
The project comprised performances of new guitar works (solo, chamber, and ensemble), with premieres of works by Bonini, Rogers, and Roberts, alongside re-interpretations of works by Westlake, Seaborn, and Davidson. It strove to re-imagine Australian identity through place (long-established) but re-orientated around everyday Australian experiences and an aesthetic of broad appeal (a new Gebrauchsmusik). As per theories of distributed creativity (eg. Cook, 2020, Torrence, 2018) the performing musician makes a critical contribution, poignantly felt in composer-performer collaborations (whether through real or imaginary).
Research Contribution
Via a composer-performer collaboration/consultation process, technical and musical explorations were undertaken with a view to realising the hermeneutic goals of painting familiar landscapes and reimagining contemporary Australian sonic identity. Embodied knowledge was applied to problems of balance, voicing, timbre, texture, rhythm, dynamics, and phrasing via an iterative process of ‘practice as research’ (Smith/Dean). For instance: drastic textural adjustments were enacted in Roberts; while extensive revoicing was affected in Bonini. Felton was originally intended for online performance (with parts in different complex metric groupings), but live performance involved experimentation with optimal ways for different parts to conceive their rhythms (phenomenology of performance).
Research Significance
A preview was reviewed in the ASAA newsletter. The most successful works were performed at the Classical Guitar Society of WA’s 60th Anniversary Gala Concerts-involving a competitive selection process-and subsequently at the high-profile Strings Attached festival in Margaret River, at the new venue Margaret River Heart. The broader significance of this project is its legacy of new works and fresh interpretations and its contribution to discourse surrounding contemporary Australian musical identity.
Non-Traditional Research Output
Live Performance
Document Type
Non-Traditional Research Output
Date of Publication
2021
School
Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts
RAS ID
43563
Event Title
Guitar Society 60th Anniversary Gala Concerts / onathan Paget & Plectra Guitar Ensemble at Strings Attached: The West Australian Guitar Festival
Event Dates
July 31, 2021; October 8, 2021
Event Venue
Richard Gill Auditorium (WAAPA) / Theatre, Margaret River Heart
Duration
50 mins
Comments
Paget, J. (2021). Earth, Sea, and Sky: Reimagining Australian Guitar Landscapes [Musical Performance]. Richard Gill Auditorium (WAAPA),Theatre, Margaret River Heart.