Sea Spirits (for solo piano, 1994) was awarded the 1994 Jean Bogan Memorial Prize for Piano Composition, administered in association with the University of Newcastle Conservatorium of Music Keyboard Festival.

The work comprises six continuous sections which are closely integrated through the use of recurring themes and textures. While the recurrence of this material provides an effective unifying element, it also allows for the development of the musical ideas throughout the work.

Sea Spirits seeks to reflect a sense of yearning and striving, through the use of long, ascending melodic lines, while the ethereal images of water and windswept skies are expressed through a piano texture inspired by the sounds of gently moving wind chimes.

Matthew Orlovich,
Composer.

Excerpt: World premiere of Sea Spirits (for solo piano, 1994) performed by Jerard Heffernan at the 1995 Keyboard Festival, University of Newcastle Conservatorium of Music.