PROGRAM NOTES: Calibrations
Small mechanical devices have always fascinated me, particularly through the calibration of many diverse elements to create perfect harmony. In this light, Calibrations is an energetic toccata for wind symphony emulating the precision and counterpoint of mechanical cycles. The piece begins with a series of brief three note motifs that rapidly expand outwards into a rapid ascending figure. Often overlapping in the woodwinds, these buoyant phrases interweave and develop together and are gradually joined by slower, weightier cycles. At critical moments there are alignments between these sections, providing a sense of common purpose, like that of a clock reaching midnight. Propelled by an onward drive, the character of Calibrations is unreservedly buoyant.
BIOGRAPHY: Philip Eames
Philip Eames is a composer, pianist, and musicologist based in Sydney. He studied piano under Max Olding and Stephen Savage and composition under Adam Gorb (Royal Northern College of Music) and Anne Boyd. In 2017 he was awarded his PhD with a dissertation studying the choral music of Percy Grainger. He currently lectures in musicology at the Sydney Conservatorium.
As a composer, Philip was announced the winner of the Tagore Composition Competition, awarded first place in the ASKM Composition Competition, and has been a featured composer in various international and Australian festivals and collaborations, including Making Waves, New Music New York and the Music Box Project. Commission highlights include The Australian Voices, Queensland Ballet, and the Australian National Piano Award. Most recently Philip was selected from a national field to take part in the Flinders Quartet 2018 Composer Development Program, involving workshops, studio recordings and performances.