Matthew Hindson: String Quartet No. 3, Ngeringa

MATTHEW HINDSON
String Quartet No.3, NGERINGA

I. The landscape as viewed from Mt Barker
II. Encroaching ‘civilization’ and development
III. The idea
IV. Construction and realisation

CREDITS

Commissioned by UKARIA to commemorate the opening of its Cultural Centre at Mount Barker, Peramangk Country, South Australia

Recorded at UKARIA, Mt Barker, Peramangk Country, in September 2020

Australian String Quartet (2020)
Dale Barltrop – Violin I
Francesca Hiew – Violin II
Stephen King – Viola
Sharon Grigoryan – Cello

Composed by Matthew Hindson, 2015
Produced by Stephen Snelleman
Engineered, Mixed & Mastered by Jakub Gaudasinski
Published by Hal Leonard Australia Pty. Ltd, exclusive agents for Faber Music Limited

Artwork – Jim Tsinganos Illustration
Art Direction – Cul-de-Sac Creative
Angelina Zucco – ASQ Chief Executive
Sophie Emery ASQ Operations Manager

Special thanks to composer Matthew Hindson, and UKARIA’s Ulrike Klein and Alison Beare for their valued support of this release.

PROGRAM NOTES

String Quartet No. 3, Ngeringa is a homage to the vision, tenacity and enterprise of Australia’s behind-the-scenes cultural leaders – people like Ulrike Klein and Ngeringa Arts, who not only commissioned this piece, but in fact are responsible for the brand-new Ngeringa Cultural Centre, now known as UKARIA, in the Adelaide Hills.

The work was completed early in 2015 and is comprised of four main sections.

It opens with an aural depiction of the surrounding landscape from Mount Barker, overlooking the current site of the UKARIA Cultural Centre, including before European settlement. Mount Barker is a place of significance to the traditional custodians of the land. One can gain a sense of the ancient from its summit, either looking towards the Adelaide Hills or in the opposite direction across very flat and dry landscapes.

The second section is built around the idea of encroaching ‘civilisation’ and development. This includes new housing developments continually moving forward – which have both positive and negative implications: people need to live somewhere and many choose new suburbs placed within a landscape that has stood there for eons. But this development also means that new facilities are needed: pieces of beauty in amongst urban sprawl.

The third section is based upon “The Idea”: in this case, burgeoning thoughts of creativity and the need for achievement, such as… a new concert hall.

The final section is inspired by notions of construction and realisation – the process of putting an idea into practice and making it a reality – furthermore, making a difference to people’s lives in a constructive, positive way.

Matthew Hindson, 2015

BIOGRAPHY

Matthew Hindson AM (b. 1968, Wollongong) is one of the most-performed and most-commissioned composers in the world, and a leading Australian composer of his generation. As well as being performed by every Australian orchestra, the London Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Royal Philharmonic among many others, Matthew’s music has been set by dance companies such as the Birmingham Royal Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, National Ballet of Japan and the Sydney Dance Company.

Matthew is the Deputy Dean and Associate Dean (Education) at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. From 2004-2010 he was the artistic director of the Aurora Festival which is dedicated to the work of living composers. In 2006 Matthew was made a member of the Order of Australia (AM) for his contributions to music education and composition. From 2009-2013 Matthew was the Chair of the Music Board of the Australia Council for the Arts, and from 2013-2015, a board member of the same organisation.

Matthew Hindson, 2019