"Esoterica" receives rave review
december 2010
With Esoterica's DVD release soon to be finalised Filmink has given the Western Australian film a stellar review.
Read the review here
Melanie Munt as Nancy
conference in NZ & decibel
november 2010
I will be presenting at the joint Musicological Society of Australia/New Zealand Musicological Society Conference at the University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand on Saturday 4th of December at 11:30AM.
I will be presenting a paper on the use of quotation and parody in my music score for Dimitri Kirsanoff's silent film masterpiece Ménilmontant (1926). This is my second appearance at a music conference and the second time presenting on my work for silent film.
I have also been invited to perform with new music ensemble Decibel who will also be in NZ for the conference. I will be performing on laptop and monome device.
For more info visit Musicological Society of Australia and Decibel 's website
"Three Pieces of Metal"
Three Piece of Metal finally receives its premier three years after its completion.
Originally written for the Perth based percussion group Tetrafide Percussion but never performed, TPOM is a work in three parts written exclusively for metallic percussion instruments. Each piece is accompanied by a short synopsis:
1. Metal Head
A boy is retro-fitted with a metal head plate to stop him requiring parental attention. His apathetic mother places him in front of the watchful eyes of commercial television as she chases her ‘reality TV’ dreams of fame and stardom. The subliminal advertising, enhanced by the boy’s metal plate, cause severe cravings for Coca-Cola branded products resulting in the boy’s drowning death.
2. Doof-Doof Serenade
Doof-Doof Serenade is a love story between a bogan and his VL Commodore. After a “doof-doof” filled romantic evening of circular driving, the bogan pops the hood of his car to stroke the engine block.
3. Alternative Medicine
Alternative Medicine involves a female acupuncturist who hates men. She uses her patients as voodoo dolls to inflict pain on the men she casually meets in seedy night-time bars.
Percussionist Callum Moncrieff performs this work and other works for vibraphone at Scale Variable 10.4 presented by Tura New Music.
Where: The Bakery, Northbridge
When: 24th of November 8PM
de Groot performs with Kynan Tan
october 2010
After hanging up my gigging boots a few years ago to concentrate on composing (the constant unruly requests for Motley Crue and/or Cold Chisel being the catalyst), I've been slowly playing more and more.
I'm excited to be performing organ and prepared rhodes piano in an ensemble put together by Kynan Tan. Tan is one of Perth's most exciting up-and-coming composers/sound artists.
His project Lucidity involves an electroacoustic ensemble made up of live instruments and electronics. Tan's music seeks to find ways to synthetically combine the elements of acoustic and electronic music in a way which enhances both and thoroughly explores dense, engaging textures.
Lucidity is 46 minutes of music for large ensemble, electronics and video projections.
Performers:
Ben Hamblin – Clarinet
Lindsay Vickery – Bass Clarinet
Tristen Parr – Cello
Lyndon Blue – Double Bass
Christopher de Groot – Prepared Rhodes Piano/Organ
Callum Moncrieff- Vibraphone/Drumkit
James Paul – Laptop
Kynan Tan – Laptop
Some of the keys to this work are its use of pre-recorded, real-time and manipulated sound synthesis and sampling; scoring for acoustic instruments and electronics using similar techniques and methods; spreading textures across the entirety of the frequency spectrum and combining elements of instituational electroacoustic music, modern electronica / microsound and modern experimental band formats (jazz and post-rock).
For more visit kynantan.com
Sir Thomas
at the Fremantle Arts Centre
september 2010
Since March I have been a new addition to Sir Thomas.
Sir Thomas is not your conventional band. Built around the two keyboard set up of Kit Byfield and yours truly, ST utilizes classically inspired concepts from Steve Reich and Philip Glass to create lush harmonies, inspired melodic lines and sound design elements, over a backdrop of repetitive rhythmic figures.
ST will be headlining their own show at the Fremantle Arts Centre supported by Village Kid and the Joe Black Trio on the 8th of October.
Doors open at 630PM music starts at 730PM
Tickets $15 at the door.
Sir Thomas on Myspace
Sir Thomas interviewed on Space Ship News
Sir Thomas interviewed on The AU Review
de Groot completes Masters degree
It's been a long road with many distractive projects that have hampered the completion of my Masters dissertation, but I'm glad to announce that my dissertation is finally complete.
"Scoring Ménilmontant - New compositional approaches to silent film" utilizes theoretical ideas by Michel Chion, David Sonnenschein, Philip Brophy, and Linda Hucheon in an analytical study of my original score to Kirsanoff's Ménilmontant (1926).
"Sororal" soon to be unleashed
august 2010
Sororal - a spatial work for chamber orchestra and four prerecorded cassette tapes is based on the dramaturgy of Sam Barrett and Robbie Studsor's screenplay of the same name.
The piece will be given its first rehearsal on Friday the 6th of August 2010.
WASO composition project
june 2010
I have been accepted into the West Australian Symphony Orchestra's
2010 Composition
Project. Four lucky WA composers have been given the
chance to compose a piece for WASO's EChO chamber
orchestra. The event
will culminate in an informal concert and recording session held at the
ABC studios Perth in late August.
"Esoterica" looms closer
The score for Esoterica
has finally been
mixed and mastered. Big
thanks to Ben Morris who did a fantastic job recording and mixing the
music.
The completion of the sound design is still underway and will be finished sometime in June 2010. Audio samples of the score, which features a 23-piece orchestra (real physical orchestra NOT sampled) can now be found in the film section of the audio samples page.
it's just (not quite) gary
Selected cues from the unused score to It's Just Gary have finally been posted to the site. See the film audio samples page to listen.
Any filmmakers interested in recycling the score can email me.
(My score for Backstage suffered a similar fate - score anyone?)
"Contortionist"
A live recording of my newest chamber work Contortionist can now be heard here.
Contortionist (a piece for sax, cello, piano, vibraphone, percussion and live sample
manipulation), was performed live at the Fremantle Arts Center in March 2010.
Percussionist Callum Moncrieff
director interviews composer
With the completion of independent feature film Esoterica just inches away, director Sam Barrett interviews yours truly about the score and all things film music.
Sam Barrett, Ivan Davidov & David Karsten of Nakatomi Pictures
Click here to read the interview.
Click here to listen to a sample of the score.
new score recorded
After a long but rewarding four days in the studio my score for Esoterica has been
recorded. A stellar effort by the ensemble and the sound team has ensured an amazing
sounding musical work.
Sound excerpts and release date information coming soon.
de Groot conducts the Annexia ensemble
exciting new feature film score
I am currently working on a film score for Sam Barrett's feature Esoterica. The score will be composed for a 23-piece orchestra (an actual physical orchestra, NOT sampled) and will be recorded on the 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th of April 2010.
WASA nomination
I have been nominated for a West Australian Screen Award (2010) for my work on Megan Palinkis's Crow's Feet.
The awards ceremony will be held on the 6th of March 2010 at the Perth Concert Hall.
"Ménilmontant"
screens in Hong Hong
My original score for Dimitri Kirsanoff's 1926 French silent film masterpiece Ménilmontant was screened with the film at the Osage gallery in Hong Kong.
The film, (score performed by the Annexia Ensemble) was first screened at the Astor Theatre in August 2009)
Click here to read the Resonate review of the original performance.
Ménilmontant is a medium-length silent film directed by Dimitri Kirsanoff, which has been hailed as a striking, disturbing masterpiece.
The story follows the lives of two young sisters who experience their parents’ brutal death in the family home. Alone and on their own, the sisters move to Paris where they struggle to survive in the seedy neighbourhood of Ménilmontant.
Kirsanoff’s style is striking and experimental, his film making skills brilliantly serve the tragic and sad nature of this story. The mix of experimental techniques and melodramatic plot is brilliantly and disturbingly balanced.
The completion of the sound design is still underway and will be finished sometime in June 2010. Audio samples of the score, which features a 23-piece orchestra (real physical orchestra NOT sampled) can now be found in the film section of the audio samples page.
it's just (not quite) gary
may 2010
Selected cues from the unused score to It's Just Gary have finally been posted to the site. See the film audio samples page to listen.
Any filmmakers interested in recycling the score can email me.
(My score for Backstage suffered a similar fate - score anyone?)
"Contortionist"
A live recording of my newest chamber work Contortionist can now be heard here.
Contortionist (a piece for sax, cello, piano, vibraphone, percussion and live sample
manipulation), was performed live at the Fremantle Arts Center in March 2010.
Percussionist Callum Moncrieff
director interviews composer
april 2010
With the completion of independent feature film Esoterica just inches away, director Sam Barrett interviews yours truly about the score and all things film music.
Sam Barrett, Ivan Davidov & David Karsten of Nakatomi Pictures
Click here to read the interview.
Click here to listen to a sample of the score.
new score recorded
After a long but rewarding four days in the studio my score for Esoterica has been
recorded. A stellar effort by the ensemble and the sound team has ensured an amazing
sounding musical work.
Sound excerpts and release date information coming soon.
de Groot conducts the Annexia ensemble
exciting new feature film score
I am currently working on a film score for Sam Barrett's feature Esoterica. The score will be composed for a 23-piece orchestra (an actual physical orchestra, NOT sampled) and will be recorded on the 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th of April 2010.
WASA nomination
february 2010
I have been nominated for a West Australian Screen Award (2010) for my work on Megan Palinkis's Crow's Feet.
The awards ceremony will be held on the 6th of March 2010 at the Perth Concert Hall.
"Ménilmontant"
screens in Hong Hong
january 2010
My original score for Dimitri Kirsanoff's 1926 French silent film masterpiece Ménilmontant was screened with the film at the Osage gallery in Hong Kong.
The film, (score performed by the Annexia Ensemble) was first screened at the Astor Theatre in August 2009)
Click here to read the Resonate review of the original performance.
Ménilmontant is a medium-length silent film directed by Dimitri Kirsanoff, which has been hailed as a striking, disturbing masterpiece.
The story follows the lives of two young sisters who experience their parents’ brutal death in the family home. Alone and on their own, the sisters move to Paris where they struggle to survive in the seedy neighbourhood of Ménilmontant.
Kirsanoff’s style is striking and experimental, his film making skills brilliantly serve the tragic and sad nature of this story. The mix of experimental techniques and melodramatic plot is brilliantly and disturbingly balanced.