Australia East and West: New music for viola and piano by Australian composers

When two musicians undertake research into the music they perform, thoughts will inevitably turn to a creative research project in which they can put this focus into practice. Australia East and West sought to foster national and international interest in contemporary classical music written by Australian composers through new music for viola and piano.
The project was devised by composer and pianist Diana Blom and violist Dawn Bennett, who commissioned, performed, recorded and researched a program of new works for viola and piano by Australian composers – Alice Humphries, Michael Hannan, John Encarnacao, Nicole Murphy, Cat Hope, Diana Blom, Lisa Cheney, and Clare Maclean.
The project resulted in nine new works which connected to the project title through their exploration of aural, cultural and creative notions of Eastern and Western Australia. Diana lives in Sydney and Dawn in Perth, so the two sides of the large Australian continent were in our minds, and we had associations with composers on each coast.

Surface / Nicole Murphy (6:27)
Fear (5:03) ; Majesty (5:15) / Alice Humphries
Waltzing wih Elling / Diana Blom (3:14)
In the sea paths / Clare Maclean (7:25)
Tarantula variations / John Encamacao (4:52)
Into the sun / Diana Blom (11:27)
Echo tango / Michael Hannan (3:51)
The sinister glamour of modernity / Cat Hope (8:07)
Fragile / Lisa Cheney (6:42)