This Need Not Be - A Deepening is an extended and more microtonal version of This Need Not Be.
Now for alto saxophone and strings.
Andre Avassian reviewed it. ‘In "This Need Not Be - A Deepening," composer Michael Hugh Dixon crafts an intricate, immersive soundscape that showcases his profound understanding of microtonality and his ability to transform it into a deeply evocative and unconventional musical experience. Dixon’s fascination with microtonal concepts allows him to explore sonic avenues that many composers may shy away from, but in doing so, he opens up a world that’s as captivating as it is foreign. The music moves through subtle, shifting intervals that seem to warp and dissolve traditional notions of pitch and harmony, creating an atmosphere that feels both alien and intimately familiar. What makes Dixon’s approach so effective is how it bends and stretches tonality without ever feeling disorienting. The microtonal intervals gently push the boundaries of Western classical harmony, revealing a landscape where every note seems to unfold slowly. In this particular composition, the listener is invited to lose themselves in this strange and wondrous terrain, where the linear progressions of traditional tonal music give way to expansive, non-linear exploration. The music doesn’t demand your attention, but it seduces you into surrendering to its hypnotic pull, allowing you to settle into the ebb and flow of its shimmering, quasi-ethereal sound.’
You can also hear it here: https://www.jango.com/music/Michael+Hugh+Dixon/reviews/23838-This-Need-Not-Be---A-Deepening
Empowerment is now at Bandcamp (and at a multitude of streaming services). https://thebrasswhisperer1.bandcamp.com/track/empowerment
Steven Azami of Radio Airplay gave it this review: "Empowerment" is an exciting new release from Australian composer, Michael Hugh Dixon. Arranged for strings and brass at a brisk tempo, this avant-garde work features repeated overlapping rhythmic figures that are constantly shifting and changing voices, forming mesmerizing layers and harmonic textures. Dixon utilizes microtonal techniques on this piece to impart a sense of unbalance and distortion onto the listener, creating an extraordinary dissonance that can be both disorienting as well as rewarding. Its unusual fanfares and asymmetrical rhythms make Michael Hugh Dixon's "Empowerment" an easy recommendation for contemporary classical and avant-garde enthusiasts, and its eight-minute length will satisfy even the most discerning of listeners.
Strongest Point(s)
Solid recording. Great unstable mood and atmosphere, immediately puts the listener in an unsteady headspace that doesn't let up for a moment. Nice dynamic build over the course of the entire piece, starting off with a lighter touch and culminating on the heavy-handedness of the final low brass passage. Fascinating approach to rhythm that audiences will love. There's some incredibly interesting things happening there, particularly once the different rhythms start to intertwine and overlap.
In October I was fortunate to play with the Australian Haydn Ensemble on their tour to USA. What a wonderful group of musicians. We played Mozart Symphony 29; Haydn symphones 6, 8 and a JC Bach Symphony in g minor. A week in residence at Chapman University in Orange County, CA followed by concerts in Carnegie Hall, New York; the new Australian Embassy in Washington, DC along with Morristown Museum, St. John's University and Horiwitz Performing Arts Centre Maryland.
Since returning I played two concerts with Grevillea Ensemble (Wendy Dixon and David Miller) performing the Aria from Bach's BWV 14, Schubert's Auf dem Strom and my piece Five and Seven. The following Saturday (Nov 11) I performed the same Bach with it's extreme high register horn part in the Sydney Bach Cantata Project. My thanks to both those groups for bringing a 40 year old dream to life.
I co-curate Sydney MicroFest with Kraig Grady. On 12 June we are presenting 3 concerts: Tickets from Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/342526655447
Concert 2pm
Diamond Fanfare (Fanfare IV) for four horns by Michael Hugh Dixon performed by Gergely Mályusz, Annalisa Solinas, Graham Nichols, Michael Hugh Dixon
Piano Piece by Warren Summers performed by Warren Summers
Music for 8 wine glasses with trombone by Amanda Cole performed by Amanda Cole, Warren Summers and Gregory van der Struik
Seven and Nine for bassoon with pre-recorded horn ensemble by Michael Hugh Dixon performed by Ben Hoadley
Double for solo bassoon by Karlo Margetić performed by Ben Hoadley
Skullen a Coldie at the Servo with M8tes by Peter Thoegersen a polytempic, polymicrotonal duet for horn and trombone
performed by Michael Hugh Dixon and Gregory van der Struik
Trio in Free Time by Michael Hugh Dixon performed by Gergely Mályusz, Annalisa Solinas, Graham Nichols
Fanfare III for four horns by Michael Hugh Dixon performed by Gergely Mályusz, Annalisa Solinas, Graham Nichols, Michael Hugh Dixon
Concert 4:30pm
New Work by Nick Ashwood performed by Laura Altman, Nick Ashwood and Jim Denley
The Celestial Tangle by Kraig Grady
performed by Jess Boyle, Kraig Grady, Joshua Mills, Terumi Narushima, Jariss Shead, and Jiahong Zhao, with live actions by Hayley Carrick
Concert 7pm
Chewing Bread, Company Time Part 1, Company Time Part 2 by Jack Tickner performed by Basil’s Kite
Best wishes to all for 2022.
May we all have the strength to make our way through whatever comes our way and the wisdom and love to do so well.
I hope we can have a good year making music at home or out and about and get much enjoyment out of our personal practice.
Jacob Elkin's Microtone Dream #2 performed for Microtonal University on November 7 (Nov 6 in USA). Jacob enhanced the sound from the Zoom recording - https://youtu.be/zfxZqDx_nMA
14 November 2021: I performed an extraordinary work a week ago, for Microtonal University, with trombonist Gregory van der Struik. Peter Thoegersen wrote Skullen a Coldie at the Servo with M8tes at my request. Each player is in a different time, tempo and tuning. You can see/hear it on YouTube here - https://youtu.be/p0IgBP2hHx4 - or hear it with the audio mixed better on BandCamp here - https://peterthoegersen.bandcamp.com/track/skullen-a-coldie-at-the-servo-w-m8ts. This is what Peter says of the piece: "Skullen a Coldie works by centric use of various sets that constantly change through the piece. Each brass instrument has its own sets and they both share pitches, however a few cents off, due to the individuality of the tunings. The tunings have their own unique microtones that are exploited, both structurally and linearly: it's neither tonal nor atonal, but a blend. No one leads and no one follows, so it's not dux/comes; it's not a fugue, yet the polytempo provides perfect ligatural separation of beats culminating in a perpetually pushed forward linear voice leading that comes naturally due to the asymmetrical nature of polytempo. The tempo changes delineate several organic connected sections of the parts that do not coincide, thus changing the moods of each voice independently: tranquil vs agitato, e.g., and there are independent tempo changes that further create a feeling of contrapuntal separation. Then there are also repeated gestures based on pitch/rhythmic behaviors in each instrument, noticeably throughout the piece, a la idee fixe, and there are harkenings of both Chopinesque and Wagneresque stylings in each part/voice that are semi-humorously referenced smack in the middle of thickened textures--as there is also a counterpoint of textures. Each instrument has vocalizations sung into the instrument to generate multiphonics for effect, so as to add an extra dimension of texture. In terms of articulation, there are independent sections of staccato/legato that are separate and alternate between the voices that add to the spatial distancing of each part, which can be heard even in Zoom."