Listen to Abhinav’s original composition submitted with his entry.
Abhinav Ananth [Age 15, NSW]
TO COUNTRY: Prophetic Aubade
My name is Abhinav Ananth, I’m 15 years old, and I love music. Although I play many instruments, I’ve taken a stronger affinity to composition and music theory for the last one and a half years; I find that composition and the production of music exposes a new area of musical expression that wouldn’t normally be found in performance (although I do still like to perform).
Over the years, I’ve been fortunate enough to receive several awards and mentions, such as the acquisition of an Honourable Mention in the Golden Key International Music Festival, the Robert Hodgson Memorial Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music at my previous school, Hills Grammar, and the MYP award for Outstanding Academic Excellence and Creativity at my current school, St. Paul’s Grammar. I was also a winner from last year’s Artology Fanfare program.
With this said, I find more value in what I learn from the many opportunities given to me, and this is no different; I am really looking forward to gaining some new insight into the wonderful field of composition in this ‘To Country’ program.
Composition Inspiration:
To be honest, I would not consider myself well-versed in Indigenous Australian culture; I’ve always looked at it from an outside perspective since I came to Australia when I was 9 years old. However, I made this composition from what I understand of it. One of the things that dignifies Indigenous Australian culture, from what I infer, is the corroboree; a dance ritual done for the purpose of social gatherings and for sharing ideas. From this, I divided my piece into two distinct sections: a slow and fast one. The slow section represents the initial tension of the meeting, but upon a confirmation and resolution; the piece gradually picks up pace, with several recurring motifs. Finally, a majestic conclusion is reached, symbolising the importance of the corroboree.
I wanted to create a piece that would create a lasting impression on the players and the audience, just as a corroboree would, so I took a fanfare-like approach in creating the piece, with recurring motifs and loud, impressionable dynamics. I also wanted to create a piece that would be straightforward and fun to play and listen to, and I hope that my piece achieves that.