The Presets have already found great success in the field of electronic music and now they’re turning their attention to a new genre: classical music.
The Sydney duo are set to embark on a new national tour, but instead of performing selections from their three acclaimed studio albums, they’ll be joining the Australian Chamber Orchestra for their 2014 season, the two pairing up for an audio-visual extravaganza entitled Timeline.
The new work is described as a “kaleidoscopic journey through 42,000 years of music”, featuring music that runs the gamut from classical masters like Mozart and Vivaldi through to the likes of jazz legend Miles Davis, musical legends like Pink Floyd and Nirvana; even chart-bothering diva Mariah Carey in a live musical mash-up between The Presets and the ACO.
Timeline will hit venues in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, and Wollongong next May and June as part of the Australian Chamber Orchestra’s (ACO) national tour, including marquee concerts at the Sydney Opera House as part of the Vivid LIVE Festival 2014. The new work is described as a “kaleidoscopic journey through 42,000 years of music” – featuring Mozart, Nirvana, and even Mariah Carey.
The new live performance is described by ACO ringleader Richard Tongetti as “life [flashing] before your ears,” and will feature The Presets’ vocalist/keyboardist Julian Hamilton and drummer/keyboardist Kim Moyes, who will “bring something special to Timeline,” says Tognetti of their “rhythmic magnetism [and] haunting vocals,” alongside a chorus of a capella vocalists and visual effects marshalled by events director Ignatius Jones.
The pair of Hamilton and Moyes, both classically trained students of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, say they’re looking forward to their tour with Tognetti and the ACO after helping curate and assemble Timeline.
“While we have enjoyed recognition in the contemporary music sector, our influences and our musical background have always been very broad, and have informed the music we create to this day,” say The Presets. “We were honoured to be asked to be contribute to Timeline – it’s a privilege to select so many meaningful works for the piece, and to work with the ACO.”
The 2014 touring program will also feature the debut of a new composition by none other than Radiohead guitarist, Jonnny Greenwood. The British musician has already made quite the name for himself in the classical world, namely for his film scores for There Will Be Blood, The Master, Norwegian Wood and We Need To Talk About Kevin and for his neo-classical work – including being a composer-in-residence for the BBC Concert Orchestra.
Greenwood has written a piece especially for the ACO, entitled Water, which will have its Australian premiere in October and November 2014 as part of Togenetti’s Beethoven concerts in Canberra, Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney next year.
The genesis of Water actually comes from Radiohead’s last tour of Australia, at the tail-end of 2012, where Greenwood workshopped material with the ACO at their Sydney studio. But the finished results are vastly different from those initial sessions, says Greenwood.
“I’m so used to closely recorded sounds, it’s always a jolt to realise that the ‘in the room’ sound of an orchestra is a different animal from a recording,” says the Radiohead multi-instrumentalist. Water also has a strong Indian influence, inspired by a sojourn of the country following the Oxford quintet’s Australian dates, with Greenwood saying “the space in Indian classical music and the textures were a big influence on the commission.”
Australian Chamber Orchestra Australian Tour 2014 Dates
Timeline featuring The Presets
Performances in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney and Wollongong from 20 May – 4 June.
Further info here.
Tognetti’s Beethoven, which includes the Australian premiere of Jonny Greenwood’s Water.
Performances in Canberra, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney from 26 October – 3 November.
Further info here.
Single tickets for the ACO’s 2014 national concert season are available from 5 December from www.aco.com.au or 1800 444 444.
