In ancient Greek mythology, the River Styx was the division between the land of the living and the land of the dead or the underworld, known as “Hades”. This work is influenced by some of the features and imagery of this mythological river, its mystery and so- called miraculous powers, and its demonisation by many Christian texts that often describe the River Styx as a feature of Hell where those who have sinned are drowned in its muddy waters.

The first section predominantly features blurry musical textures, conveying an image of haziness and contrasts two musical ideas. These two gestures are three arpeggiated harmonic spectra and three arpeggiated sub-harmonic spectra, resulting in a contrast between clear high register textures and low register muddy coloured textures.

The middle section of The Styx portrays the miraculous powers that the ancient Greeks believed the river possessed. In Greek mythology the ancient gods were made to drink from the river when they had failed to follow through on a binding oath, resulting in them losing their voice. The middle section portrays this by using more brutal textures contrasted by sudden silences. The work’s final section portrays the river’s demonisation and retains much of the brutal atmosphere of the middle section.

Composer Bio: Peter McNamara (b.1980)
Website: www.petermcnamara.com.au

Peter McNamara (b. 1980) was born and educated in Sydney’s outer western suburbs and is gaining a reputation as one of Australia’s talented emerging composers. Between 1999 and 2011 he studied at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music with composers such as Michael Smetanin, Bozidar Kos and Trevor Pearce, graduating with a PhD. He has worked as a freelance composer across a variety of areas including orchestral, chamber, electronic and film composition and is currently a lecturer at the Sydney Conservatorium.

McNamara’s works have been performed by a variety of major orchestras and ensembles in Australia and overseas including Ensemble Modern, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble Insomnio, Orchestra Victoria, Orkest de Ereprijs, Ensemble Offspring, the Tokyo Sinfonietta, Ensemble Nomad and the Stroma Ensemble. His work has appeared at numerous international events in Australasia and Europe including a number of performances at the ISCM World New Music Days conference and the Gaudeamus Music Week in The Netherlands.

McNamara has a growing number of works published by Wirripang Pty Ltd and Alexander Street Press. He also has a growing number of commissions from various artistic bodies and ensembles nationally and internationally. This includes Perpetual Inertia for the Dutch Orchestra and Ensemble Academy, The German Hills for Ensemble Offspring and Duo-Charged for Ars Musica Australis and the Sydney Conservatorium. In 2006 and 2012, he was the composer-in-residence at the Campbelltown Arts Centre. His work The Styx for chamber orchestra and solo percussion was commercially released on CD in 2009, recorded by Ms. Claire Edwardes and the Kammerklang Chamber Orchestra.

McNamara has received many awards including second place at the 2011 Young Composers Meeting with Orkest de Ereprijs (Cross Modifications), the 2008 2MBS-FM composition award for Orchestra (Modes of Deception), the 2007 Betty Amsden Award for Orchestra (Auftauchen der Nacht) and second place in the 2007 Asian Composers League Young Composers Awards (Landscape of Diffracted Colours). McNamara also received a High Credit from the Lepo Sumera International Composition Contest in 2003 for his orchestral work Shadows of Fallacy.