HARRY SDRAULIG
String Quartet No.2
STREAM VIA
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CREDITS
Recorded at ABC Adelaide, Kaurna Country, in 2024
Australian String Quartet
Dale Barltrop – Violin I
Francesca Hiew – Violin II
Chris Cartlidge – Viola
Michael Dahlenburg – Cello
Composed by Harry Sdraulig
Commissioned by John Griffiths for his wife Beth
Produced and Mastered by Jakub Gaudasinski
Engineered by Tom Henry
Artwork by Jim Tsinganos Illustration
Art Direction by Cul-de-Sac Creative
PROGRAM NOTES
Though cast in a single movement of approximately thirteen minutes in duration, there are four distinct sections which follow a slow-fast-slow-fast structure. The first begins with gentle, glistening harmonics which, through melodic development, eventually blossom into an extended cello solo accompanied by an undercurrent of rustling rhythmic figurations. The second section constitutes a fast, pulsating scherzo which demands considerable agility and virtuosity from the players. By contrast, the third section – introduced through a viola solo – is unashamedly melodic, interweaving countermelodic phrases with rich harmonies before ending in an oasis of stillness and calm. This gives way to a brief, energetic finale which reprises much of the work’s prior material to make for a dramatic and climactic conclusion.
Harry Sdraulig, 2024.
BIOGRAPHY
Harry Sdraulig is one of the most frequently commissioned and performed composers of his generation. Hailed by Australian Stage as “the most interesting voice in Australian composition for many years”, his music – at turns serious, playful, contemplative, or exuberant – has been described by Limelight as both “intriguingly off-kilter and intense” and “intelligent, accessible, and entertaining”. His aesthetic is characterised by its passionate melodic lyricism, harmonic richness, and intricacy of rhythmic interplay and drive.
In recent years, Harry’s work has risen to prominence through a string of collaborations with renowned artists and arts organisations. His Fantasia on Waltzing Matilda, commissioned by Yo-Yo Ma and Kathryn Stott and released by Sony Classical, is widely broadcast internationally, whilst his music has also been featured by the Sydney, Melbourne, Queensland, Tasmanian, and Canberra Symphony Orchestras, the Australian Chamber Orchestra, the Goldner, Orava, Chroma, and Australian String Quartets, Musica Viva Australia, the UKARIA Cultural Centre, the Australia Ensemble, the Australian National Academy of Music, PLEXUS, Ensemble Three, and Ensemble Q. Harry has twice been a finalist for Work of the Year at the APRA AMCOS Art Music Awards.
Harry’s music is predominantly published by the Australian Music Centre, for which he is a represented artist. He completed Bachelor of Music (Honours) and Master of Music degrees at the University of Melbourne and holds a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Sydney, at which he lectures in composition.
Learn more at: https://www.harrysdraulig.com/
