Composers: Iain Grandage, Dan Walker, Joseph Twist, Ruth McCall, Matthew Orlovich, Ben van Tienen
Compositions: Choral music
Performers: Voyces/Robert Braham

Since its founding in 2011, the West Australian choir Voyces has made a name for itself performing the music of contemporary Australian composers. It’s no surprise then that its self-titled debut album, released in 2017 and available to stream for free via Bandcamp as well as purchase, is a lovingly performed encapsulation of that interest. Featuring works by the likes of Iain Grandage, Dan Walker, Joseph Twist, Ruth McCall, Matthew Orlovich and Ben van Tienen, the ensemble not only shows off its considerable chops under the guiding hand of its Music Director Robert Braham but reminds listeners of the undeniable wealth of composing talent in this country.

First cab off the rank is Ruth McCall’s spirited reworking of Waltzing Matilda, which features an hypnotic chant on B Flat of Indigenous botanical words, building a vivid image of the flora and fauna to be found near a billabong, the subject, of course, of Banjo Paterson’s poem. The choir give it an otherworldly, almost spooky reading, appropriate to the darker currents of Paterson’s story.

Another powerful evocation of the Australian landscape...