Rosalind Carlson

Australian Bird Suite for solo flute

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Instrumental Music / Flute

"Australian Bird Suite" for solo flute - 2001

To download the first page of this music as a PDF document, select this link --> australian_bird_suite.pdf
To listen to the first page of this music, download and play this MP3 audio file --> australian_bird_suite.mp3
(to download the above files, you may need to right-click on the links and select "Save Target As...")

Rosalind Carlson lives on a five acre property in Arcadia (The Hills District, north-west of Sydney, Australia). Here the native Australian birds that live and breed on her land have inspired this work.

Musical motifs represent the different birds. Each motif for each movement is published at the beginning of each movement. These motifs are suggestive of the various idiosyncrasies and characteristics of the birds being described musically.

The are six movements in the suite:

Movement 1 "Superb Fairy Wrens" - 1 min 32 sec
Movement 2 "Willy Wagtail and English Blackbirds" - 1 min 29 sec
Movement 3 "Chiming Wedgebills" - 2 min 57 sec
Movement 4 "Silver Spangled Cockerels" - 1 min 51 sec
Movement 5 "Colourful Lorikeets and Lyrebirds" - 2 min 32 sec
Movement 6 "The Return of the Superb Fairy Wrens" - 1 min 1 sec

In 2002 the Australian Bird Suite was recorded on CD by the Sydney professional flautist Christine Draeger.

In 2005 the Flute Society of New South Wales set Movement 2 "Willy Wagtail and English Blackbirds" as the test piece for the 14 Years Championship in their Eisteddfod held in Sydney.

Australian Bird Suite was published in 2002 by Phylloscopus Publications - Lancaster U.K.. Musical Score and CD are available from Flexi-Fingers. See order form.

Performances:

In England:

6th June 2002 - the world premiere performance by Lewis Mitchell in St James Church, Piccadilly, London, U.K.

In Germany:

27th February 2004 - at a recital in Quierschied by Lewis Mitchell
April 2007 - 2 performances at Saarbrucken by Lewis Mitchell
3rd February 2008 - at the Soroptimist International Concert in Stade, Hamburg. This recital was for solo flute given by the Austrian International Flautist Elisabeth Most. The recital opened with the Australian Bird Suite - excellent reviews followed this concert.

In Belgium:

18th February 2008 - at Namur recital performed by Elisabeth Most.

In Australia:

11th October 2002 - a memorable performance took place at the NSW State Parliament House in Sydney. This was in the presence of Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir, AC Governor of NSW. The occasion was for the Music Teachers Association of NSW 90th Birthday luncheon celebration. Excerpts from the Australian Bird Suite were performed by Emma Knott.
Other live performances have taken place in Sydney, Melbourne and New South Wales country areas.

Many concert performances by the flautist Australian Jane Duncan as follows:

24th February 2004 - for Sutherland Music Club on a program entitled "Mozart by Moonlight" held at the Sutherland Memorial School of Arts.
7th March 2004 - for The Friends of Waverly Library to celebrate International Women's Day held at the Ron Lander Centre Waverly Library.
21st March 2004 - in the Greenway Chapel Concert Series at the Greenway Memorial Gardens Chapel - Green Point, Central Coast, NSW.
27th March 2004 - 2MBS-FM "Young Performers in Concert" at Bayview Garden Retirement Village.
4th April 2004 - at "Classics at Thirlmere", Thirlmere, the Estonian Retirement Centre Hall.

In Sydney, by the flautist Alexandra Stableforth:

30th November 2003 - at the Carlson Chorale Chamber Choir: Annual Choral Recital held at St. George Maronite Catholic Church - Thornleigh.
4th May 2004 - at the Lane Cove District Music Club Musicale Recital Series - Lane Cove.

In 23rd November 2008, at Mt St Benedict Convent Chapel, Pennant Hills, NSW, Australia, as guest artist Christine Draeger gave a live performance of this work.

Broadcasts

Broadcast on the National Australian Broadcasting Corporation radio - A.B.C. Classic FM 92.9 - and on 702 AM (Sydney). Performed by Christine Draeger.
Broadcast over German radio in January 2010.

Reviews

The German Flute Society requested Elisabeth Most to write an article for the November 2008 Swiss Flute Magazine reviewing Rosalind Carlson's Australian Bird Suite.

Examinations

The Australian Music Examination Board has listed the Australian Bird Suite in the 2013 Series 3 New Examination Flute Syllabus.

CDs and Scores are available for viewing at the library of the Australian Music Centre, including the above work. Follow the link below for a complete listing of works by Rosalind Carlson available from the library:

http://www.amcoz.com.au/opac/name.aspx?id=3411

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