"In the case of writing my first solo harp piece, I realised the name before composing the music. I envisioned the Antarctic landscape and its friendly inhabitants; this provided me with the inspiration I needed. The programmatic descriptions during this piece are self-explanatory:
The Icy Landscape...Fast penguins gathering and grouping themselves...Penguins having difficulty organizing themselves...More organizing...Penguin’s success...A rowdy party...A cold wind comes...The party is disturbed and the penguins huddle for warmth...Patiently waiting... Impatiently waiting...Stamping feet in frustration...The disturbance has cleared...Back to the rowdy party... Night falls...Time to sleep..."
- Joshua McHugh
Alice in Antarctica went to air on Sunday 26 June 2011, and featured images, sounds and stories from Alice Giles' journey to Antarctica in 2011. The concert included a performance piece Alice created for a live concert at Mawson Station earlier this year as a tribute to her grandfather C.T. Madigan and his role in the Mawson expedition. Also featured were readings from Madigan’s diaries and music he referred to while in Antarctica; the Australian premiere of works for electro-acoustic harp by Australian composers Prof. Larry Sitsky, Jim Cotter, Martin Wesley-Smith and Joshua McHugh; and a new transcription by Nigel Westlake.
To watch the full Alice in Antarctica broadcast, go to vimeo.com/anusom/aliceinantarctica
music.anu.edu.au