Classical Music: Jane Stanley: Cerulean Orbits

Jane Stanley: Cerulean Orbits

The Indifferent (2023)* for soprano, clarinet, harp and double bass; Cerulean Orbits (2016)
for violin and piano; Helix Reflection (2013) for flute and B flat clarinet; Suite (2014, rev. 2023)
for B flat clarinet, violin, cello and piano; Oneiroi (2023) for mixed sextet.
All except track 7 are premiere recordings

Hermes Experiment*
Red Note Ensemble

Delphian DCD34281
https://www.delphianrecords.com/

Delphian is a label that never shies away from contemporary music and, in doing so, creates a platform for composers to showcase their creative talents. This is particularly evident in the release of music by Australian-born, Glasgow-based, composer Jane Stanley. It showcases pieces created between 2013 and 2023 for various chamber combinations.

It’s a fascinating insight into the composer’s mind hearing the interaction between the different textures. In the Suite for B flat clarinet, violin, cello, and piano, Stanley’s creativity accentuates the influence of Messiaen and Boulez. The Red Note Ensemble conveys her writing with balance, drawing all its strands into an equilibrium. Stanley writes - ‘Certain stylistic traits weave through these pieces, including an audible preoccupation with gesture (musical ideas that convey evocative feelings of energetic directed motion), intricately ornamented melodic patterning, and intertwining woven textures.’

John Fallas, in his notes, cites Stanley's intentions to the players: 'At all times, decisions regarding pacing (and, in some places, ordering) of material should be informed by listening.' This sense of energetic directed motion, present throughout all of her compositions, pushes the aural boundaries to decipher the harmonics in a way that allows the mind to interpret them freely.

The impressive contribution of the Hermes Experiment - they only appear once - is particularly effective in The Indifferent, combining a group of instruments that includes Helene Werner's striking soprano, clarinet, harp and double bass. The combination of different timbres and the rich resonance of the double bass works well to create a song cycle that draws inspiration from texts by Australian poet Judith Bishop. This cycle, as with all the compositions, creates intriguing outlines that reflect Stanley's formative years and her mother's passion for textile crafting.