Now this is definitely a work that’s hard to categorise, but aren’t stylistic lines always kind of interesting to ponder? Sinking Cities is a new piece written by jazz saxophonist Rafael Karlen for string orchestra, choir and saxophone, here performed by Camerata – Queensland’s Chamber Orchestra, The Australian Voices and Karlen himself. Karlen has experimented with instruments and textures that aren’t the usual jazz combos before (his 2014 album The Sweetness of Things Half Remembered had the unusual combination of saxophone, piano and string quartet, for instance), and some of his other releases touch on the music of, among others, Renaissance composer Dufay as well as Schubert. He’s clearly a composer with an adventurous ear, and one who’s willing to play with genre boundaries, too.

Sinking Cities, Camerata – Queensland’s Chamber Orchestra, Rafael Karlen and The Australian Voices. Photo © Michelle Secis

This is a large-scale piece, clocking in at about an hour. Honestly, I can’t recall the last time I saw such a lengthy new work written by an Australian composer, let alone one that required a choir to boot, so it’s a good thing that there are...