Q&A: Cathy Milliken and the curation of Light–Song

You’ve crafted this festival from a vast array of different composers and their individual voices. Is there a unifying theme running through these works?

In both concerts I chose a theme that is universal but close to my own musical interests. In Song (Concert 2), my preoccupation was with with song in the broader sense of expression through story-telling, fairy tales, village choirs, bird songs, and love songs. In Light (Concert 1), my main inspiration is the Sonnet 43 by William Shakespeare in which he intertwines seeming opposed states of light and dark: “All days are nights to see till I see thee, And nights bright days when dreams do show thee me.”

Your own music draws so much inspiration from the natural world. How is this reflected in your piece in the first concert, Catalogue of Sky?

In actual fact, the inspiration for this work lay in various writings. Firstly a description of the various hues of the sky by Giacomo Leopardi and latterly the image of sky presented by Rainer Maria Rilke in Ah, not to be cut off in which he reflects “The inner-what is it? If not intensified sky, hurled through with birds…”

There are a number of premieres in this concert – which are you most excited to hear for the first time?

I can’t say which I am looking forward to more. The fact is I found huge satisfaction in curating a whole concert and I am deeply grateful to Simon Lord and the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra for inviting me to do this. It is as if one can tell a completely new story by the composition of the program and thereby perhaps even shed new light on older works by their juxtaposition with newer works.

What does it mean to have such a strong focus on female composers on a significant platform like Adelaide Festival?

It is a timely and important step forward towards making the works of many female composers on such an international stage such as Adelaide Festival known and appreciated. In this way we foster the inclusion of such wonderful works in future programming.

How does philanthropy help to elevate and inspire contemporary music?

Searching for new musical solutions, creating new musical architectures, researching new sound phenomena needs time. New music as a hub of creativity and experiment needs nurturing. Philanthropists are often experimentalist, looking for new paths, new ways to help society and humanity. They often become close partners in helping the research and experimentation that contemporary music needs offering a different perspective and sometimes providing that spark that ignites the artist to complete a new work.

What do you hope audiences will take away from experiencing Light–Song?

I hope they will enjoy the marvellous and powerful sonic structures and musical architectures that they hear in Light (Concert 1) and that they can immerse themselves and find delight in the delicacy of the gossamer sounds of the Song (Concert 2).

Can you share a moment in the creative process of Light–Song that particularly inspired or surprised you?

Because I thought of the themes Song and Light before I really got going with the choice of works, I was surprised and pleased by the amount of musical literature which did in fact concern itself with the themes, albeit in many wonderfully different ways.

With its diverse range of composers, Light–Song highlights many musical perspectives, including that of Ngaanyatjarra musician Vonda Last. In what way does her music shape the overall program, if any?

Vonda Last’s composition Awakening suggests a very strong connection to country and to her culture. From my perspective Vonda brings a direct and singular earnestness to the program as well as lending meaning and elegance. It is wonderful to appreciate so many wonderful women composer voices from so many eras and traditions.