WA Symphony Orchestra’s Composition Project mentors four young composers with a showcase at State Theatre

When is new music not “New Music”? When it is fun, according to James Ledger, doyen Perth composer and artistic director of the WA Symphony Orchestra’s Composition Project. Four young composers were mentored over six months by Ledger and WASO composer-in-residence Olivia Davies, with their works performed at the State Theatre Centre’s Studio Underground on Tuesday. The results certainly didn’t conform to the austere stereotype of post-war aesthetics. “New Music is in a much healthier place than it was 20 years ago,” Ledger declared. Darcy Lewis’ Aluminated Grey, an exploration of shades, opened with shimmering cymbals then bass clarinet, minimalist yet challenging. A fluttering soundscape snapped into motion that flowed through the 14-piece WASO ensemble. Pops and squeaks in woodwind urged on strings then brass, with bassoon and tuba bottoming out in plangent tones. A death rattle in percussion triggered more drama in brass, offset by warbling woodwind; a rising cacophony building to a climax as Ledger counted down like a jazz band leader towards the cadence. Lucas Tomkins’ Infinities evoked the vast landscapes of WA, the composer said, based on “colours and textures distilled into a musical idea that comes in melody and harmony”. Again, percussion opened with bass clarinet in a swelling epiphany, warmly harmonic, like a sunrise over distant thunder. Clarinet carried the idea forward to violin then viola in Romantic tones, settling in cello. Far from abstract, this was a celebration of nature and reflection on its fractal beauty, expressed in oboe and clarinet over a burgeoning brass chorale. Returning to cello, high strings chimed in quietly, drawing on woodwind and brass with a flourish in percussion before fading towards calming, balmy chords to close. Somayeh Heidarvand’s Resonances from Matilda Bay overtly drew on nature and her studies of its influence in orchestral music, also channelling post-war music theories to practical effect. “I hope I will achieve that goal and you can hear those sounds, otherwise I will have failed,” she mused, adding: “You have to be open to that.” Bells and bombast opened the bill, then wind effects and a clattering of bows on strings unleashed disjointed melodic fragments across the ensemble, like a breeze stirring the river. Fretful high strings brought a hint of high summer with storms on the horizon. Breath effects from brass filled out a constrained soundscape as repeated entries in woodwind imitated water fowl, twittering before flight. Booming bass drum upped the volume and tuba seemed to signal fog in the channel, spurring panic in woodwind; dissipating to an isolated squawk. Finally, Domenic Lamattina’s I Jest, You Jest broached what Ledger termed “cartoon music”. “A humble court jester finds magical powers to wreak havoc,” Lamattina suggested, declaring it, “definitely the goofiest piece in the program”. Crazy brass fanfares fell away to swirling mystery and dark intrigue in bass clarinet. Ledger’s allusion to Looney Tunes instantly came to life in a sorcerers’ march of wit and whimsy. Suddenly the musicians were allowed indulgence and repaid the favour with vim and vigour. Somewhere in the mix was a leitmotif of descending semi-tones, the Warner Bros symbol for pathos and hubris: Wah, Wah, Waaah! But solemn moments quickly dissolved in a riot of colour and syncopation, a comedic carnival parade that set its own pace. Sudden sinister outbursts echoed Strauss’ tragi-comic Til Eulenspiegel, followed by brooding in strings and tuba; half-melancholy, half-macabre, with a tincture of jazz. At the last, fanfares and frivolity rocked out in an ebulliently chaotic coda. Lewis won the Bendat Scholarship, and will compose for WASO in 2026. This critic’s prize went to Lamattina for a romp that tugged at the heartstrings of a trumpet tragic. WASO returns to Studio Underground for Danceworks on June 26 and 27.