MAWSON STATION, ANTARCTICA, February 2011
ALICE GILES – ELECTRO-ACOUSTIC ‘CAMAC BLUE’ HARP and ‘THOM’ LEVER HARP, Spoken and Sung VOICE
To commemorate the Centenary of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition 1911-1914
PROGRAM
“If the night watchman is a considerate chap, (he) puts on a soothing violin solo, such as ‘Humoresque’, to be followed by others that become gradually louder. This is a great refinement by which the sleepers gradually wake to the strains of music.” – Charles Laseron, in ‘South with Mawson’
All the spoken interludes in this program are taken from the unpublished Note Book & Diary of Cecil Thomas Madigan (1889-1947), AAE
La Cinquataine Gabriel Marie (arr A. Jonas)
Humoresque Antonin Dvorak (arr C. Salzedo)
Annie Laurie Traditional (arr C. Salzedo)
Lead kindly Light Purday / Newman
Abide with me Monk / Lyte
Nearer my God Dykes / Adams (arr A. Giles)
The Good Rhein Wine Scottish Student’s Songbook
A-Roving Scottish Student’s Songbook
Billions of Penguins * Joshua McHugh
Huskies Improvisation inspired by (Howl, Whip, Sledging) Rupert Summerson
Beneath the Midnight Sun Nigel Westlake (arr for solo harp by Giles)
On not Dancing with Penguins * Jim Cotter
Aurora Wynnis * Martin Wesley-Smith
Text from the CTM Diary and the poem
“Ah Love, could thou and I with fate conspire …”
(quoted by Madigan) from the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam
Fantasia No. 17 * Larry Sitsky
Whirlwind Carlos Salzedo
*World Premier Performance
alice in antarctica 
January 28th, 2011 at 2:42 am
So exciting, very best wishes Alice, can’t wait to hear the finished work upon your return.
February 12th, 2011 at 11:39 am
hanks Lucy and family – I’ll be hoping to send back video of parts of the performance right afterwards so you won’t have to wait even that long, love, Alice.
February 20th, 2011 at 1:11 am
Hi Alice enjoyed reading your newsletter. I am an avid reader of all that happens on the boat and what happens in Mawson becaues my eldest son of four children is an engineer in Mawson and has been there for 17 months and will be home hopefully on 16/3. It is a whole new world and I look forward to your music. My son’s name is Daniel Ryan.and he too can play music Piano.Regards Mary Ryan
February 22nd, 2011 at 9:05 am
Thanks Mary – I am sure you are looking forward to seeing you son again soon. Hopefully we won’t be too delayed by the ice getting to Mawson. I will say hello to him. Alice
March 3rd, 2011 at 11:54 am
Hi Alice
Delighted to hear that you managed to get ashore at Mawson and what a shame you couldn’t get to Rumdoodle. It sounds like you are having a great time though. All the best. Rupert
March 14th, 2011 at 7:36 am
Hi Rupert, I thought of you and your idea that one should try and come up with a musical scale that fitted Antarctica. When I was at Mawson I certainly felt that a conventional scale or mode would not be suitable for a place that feels so ancient and beyond human time frame. I wrote a little sketch which I’ll play you when I get home. I will interested to see what composers who visit Antarctica in the future will come up with. Alice
April 21st, 2011 at 5:16 pm
Hi.
R
January 1st, 2012 at 1:18 pm
Hello again Rupert,
Its Pink calling across the ether.
Id like to catch up with you and share our last 30 years or so of news!