Composer’s Note

Cloud Nine (for soprano saxophone, piano and electronic bow) was commissioned in 2021 by HD Duo (Michael Duke, saxophone; David Howie, piano) with the financial support of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, University of Sydney.

In keeping with the title of the work, the first movement (Joyful; dotted crotchet = c. 80) is euphoric in mood, commencing with a buoyant theme that recurs between moments of exuberant bebop-esque music, gleeful chordal displays, scalar runs and passages comprising piquant effects and ornamentations.

The second movement (Dark and stormy; quaver = c. 60) – a meditation on the awe-inspiring grandeur of a cumulonimbus cloud – is a nod to The International Cloud Atlas (1896) and its more literal use of the work’s title. Offering a moment of repose, the movement begins with the sound of distant thunder and features a slowly unfurling melody accompanied by the hum of an electromagnetically-excited B-flat piano string.

The third and final movement (Playful; crotchet = c. 120) begins with some cheeky, high-spirited interplay between the saxophone and piano. There ensues a short recapitulation of music from the first movement, culminating in a resolute coda.

I thank HD Duo for commissioning Cloud Nine and gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, University of Sydney.

Dr Matthew Orlovich
Composer.

Some of the Known Performances

WEDNESDAY 7 SEPTEMBER, 2022 (7PM)

Pictured: HD Duo (David Howie & Michael Duke).

Concert:
Gems Old and New – Music for saxophone and piano

Hear Matthew Orlovich’s “Cloud Nine” for soprano sax, piano and electronic bow, plus works by Clara Schumann, Sally Greenaway, Lili Boulanger, Gabriel Faure, Brenton Broadstock and Lyle Chan.

Performers: Michael Duke and Jay Byrnes (saxophonists) and David Howie and Lindsay Gilroy (pianists).
Venue: Recital Hall East, Sydney Conservatorium of Music, Macquarie Street, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Tickets: Free with online registration.