Rivers and Seas
was born from my piece A Hundred Valleys this is for solo horn with 9 horns accompanying in gentle just intonation harmonies.
Recorded in Studios 301 in February 2020 with Jack Garzonio engineering and producing.
I played all the horn parts. https://tidal.com/browse/album/132495846
https://open.spotify.com/track/5CvUlnI75oxjy5GtJXLfUA?si=4fb922f7aa4048c3
Door of Many Mysteries
https://michaelsmeditationmusic.bandcamp.com/track/door-of-many-mysteries
Meditative song with text from the classic by Lao Tzu. Chapter One, The Dao that can be expressed is not everlasting Dao. The gorgeous singing of Wendy Dixon along with the wonderful playing of Lisa Wynne-Allen on horn along with myself on horn. The tuning is 7-limit just intonation.
We performed it a number of times live and a new version for soprano, horn and trombone is to be performed at Sydney MicroFest 7, July 6, 2025 by Wendy Dixon, Greg van der Struik and myself.
Humility
is a trio for violin, horn and cello in just intonation inspired by a text in the classic by Lao Tzu. My original work was for tenor and two horns. I've also made a version for soprano, horn and piano. The tuning is based on the Kirnberger III temperament. Here Paula Newcomb played violin, myself horn and Matthew Farrell the cello. Recorded in 2003 by Dan in the Nickson Room or the University of Queensland.
Seek a Lowly Place
is also born from my piece A Hundred Valleys this is for solo horn and 6 horns with just intonation chord progressions.
Recorded at Studios 301 in December 2019, engineered by Jack Garzonio, co-produced by him and Chryssy Tintner.
I played all the horn parts. https://tidal.com/browse/track/127209162
Stillness of unceasing activity
Gregory van der Struik has performed the longer version of this piece a number of times. I shortened and tightened the composition then Greg recorded it in December 2018 at Flat Rock Studios, engineered by John Lewis. https://tidal.com/browse/album/101173515
Greg has also performed the shorter version at Sydney MicroFest.
We are sufficient
is set to text from Dao De Jing by Lao Tzu though played on 4 horns.
It was initially played by horn players, Heath Parkinson, Katy Grisdale, Alex Love, Francesco Lo Surdo, for a concert of mine at University of Wollongong, the Sydney Con and later by myself with Neil Favell, Graham Nichols, Francesco Lo Surdo at the International Horn Symposium in Brisbane, Australia, 2005.
https://michaelsmeditationmusic.bandcamp.com/album/we-are-sufficient