'A black dog near me' premiere

Photo courtesy of Joel Walmsley

A black dog near me explores mental health through an emotional dialogue between flugelhorn and piano. It was commissioned by the Australian National Academy of Music as part of the ANAM Set, an initiative to get the art music ball rolling post covid

The title is taken from a poem called ‘Melancholia’ by Robert Bly. The work uses flugelhorn and piano to explore some soulful, lonely sounds. The premiere took place on December 3 at the Abbotsford Convent home of ANAM, performed by Joel Walmsley on flugel and Peter de Jager on piano. It was introspective and emotional - a really fantastic performance that lingered long after the last note was played.

The piece was recorded by the ABC, is published by Wirripang, and features in a short video by Marleena Forward