BY EMMA SULLIVAN
As the principal bassist of Melbourne Chamber Orchestra, I am usually found at the back of the ensemble, providing the foundation to our sound. It is a role I relish – the bass is an integral component of the music, but is rarely at the forefront. In many ways, it is the unsung hero of the orchestra.
But in our upcoming concerts, the double bass will be showcased in a different light. I have the rare privilege of giving the world premiere performances of a new work for solo double bass and strings by Melbourne-based trumpeter, educator, and composer Louisa Trewartha.
This work, titled Anderson’s Kew, is made even more special because it pays homage to Melbourne 20th-Century feminist icon Alice Anderson. Alice established and ran Australia’s first all-female garage, and empowered women by teaching them to drive and repair their own cars. The representation of Alice through the double bass — an instrument that has a history of female underrepresentation — seems particularly apt.
I caught up with Louisa (pictured above) to learn more about her inspiration for Anderson’s Kew and her compositional process.
This is your first commission from Melbourne Chamber Orchestra, although you have played in the ensemble. Did your experience as a musician in MCO inform your approach to writing Anderson’s Kew?
Knowing the MCO musicians has given me extra motivation to deliver a piece that they will enjoy playing — fingers crossed! It also gives me a lot of confidence that the piece will be performed to the highest standard.
Being a professional musician helps endlessly with my composing. Not only have I been immersed in the orchestral soundworld for over a decade, which helps with visualising what’s possible, but I also know literally hundreds of clever musicians whom I can ask questions. For example, the parts for Anderson’s Kew were looked over by string players during an interval at the ballet. I learnt a lot about string articulation! There’s always something to learn, which I love.
Is this your first time writing for solo double bass? What are the challenges in writing for the instrument?
It is. However, I have written for solo tuba, which sits in a similar range.
The double bass is extremely important in an ensemble work, so I made sure to cover that role as much as possible with the celli. I have, however, selected special moments where the solo double bass moves into its pedal range to really make the room shake.
Another difficult element is not overcrowding the range in which the soloist plays, so that they have every chance of being heard.
The namesake of this work is Melbourne icon and trailblazer Alice Anderson. What inspired you to write a work about Alice, and how have you brought her to life through the music?
More people should know about Alice Anderson, which is what inspired me to write this work.
I first learnt of Alice in the book The Unusual Life of Edna Walling, and was mightily impressed by how gutsy she was. Both women moved in the same circles in Melbourne during the 1920s, and I’m now realising they were also a similar age — however, Edna outlived Alice by almost half a century.
Alice is famous for opening Australia’s first female-run garage in Kew, where they chauffeured the rich and famous, and educated other women about how to drive and fix their own cars. Different sections in Anderson’s Kew attempt to capture different characteristics of Alice, with words such as playful, mysterious, and confident marked at points in the score, and the middle section marked grieving to signify the tragedy of her sudden death.
I recommend reading A Spanner in the Works by Loretta Smith for more information about Alice Anderson.
Anderson’s Kew will be premiered as part of a program of works by Mozart and Salieri. How do you think your writing compares to their Classical aesthetic?
This work is structured much the same as a classical concerto: fast-slow-fast. Some might suggest it has a filmic sound to it, as much of my music leans towards. I doubt Mozart or Salieri would think much of the work, but then I also don’t think much of theirs: I’m completely jaded by the lack of good trumpet writing in this era; give me Bach any day!
In addition to your work as a composer, you keep busy playing trumpet, teaching, and much more. How do you balance these different aspects of your working life, and find time to write music?
I have very intentionally created a career for myself in which variety is key. I loathe the idea of working a single full-time job: I’m just not cut out for it. Juggling so many things, I’ve had to learn how to be extremely organised, which is not something that comes naturally to me, and how to work very efficiently.
I wouldn’t survive without my paper diary — old school, I know — nor could I do it all without the support of my wife, and my family who are endlessly supportive.
What other exciting composition projects do you have coming up?
I’m looking forward to writing a chamber work for Canberra Symphony Orchestra to be premiered in their 2023 season.
The world premiere performances of Anderson’s Kew will be presented as part of the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra event Mozart/Salieri. See it live at 7.30pm July 21 and 2.30pm July 24 at Melbourne Recital Centre; and 8pm July 22 at Yackandandah Public Hall.
Images supplied. Alice Anderson by unknown author via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.
