At the time of this disc's release,
Nigel Westlake was one of Australia's rising stars of composition, still waiting to gain wider recognition around the world, but his music was already well-known in certain circles. Percussionists enjoy his Omphalo-Centric Lecture, while others know his scores for the films Babe and Miss Potter. The Hinchinbrook Riffs is officially the second volume of some of
Westlake's chamber music. For those who are familiar with and enjoy Omphalo-Centric Lecture and
Westlake's Onomatopoeia album (Vol. 1 of his chamber music), the two works here that will appeal to them the most are The Hinchinbrook Riffs and Kalabash. The Hinchinbrook Riffs is a mesmerizing, tonal work utilizing digital recording magic to create an echo approximately a half-second behind the guitarist as he plays. Four percussionists play two marimbas in Kalabash, a work inspired by an African instrument that is a forerunner of the marimba. While the music doesn't use any African melodies or harmonies, its gently bouncing, pulsing energy brings to mind ceremonial dancing. The three other works on the album are more structured, more atonal, and arguably less imaginative than
Westlake's other compositions. At first impression, they have the air of being written by someone who is mostly self-taught (which
Westlake is) and is trying to prove that he can write formal, classical music in a way that will satisfy the modern classical elite and academics. The movements in each fit together well, as does the interplay of instruments in the String Quartet and Piano Trio. A close listening, however, reveals that there are elements in all three of the works that link them to
Westlake's other writing. The String Quartet is built on sound textures created with a variety of bowing and pizzicato techniques, with a dark, unsettled feeling permeating every movement, while the Piano Sonata is very percussive. Its middle section is full of
Messiaen-esque wonder and sparkling brightness, but the outer sections are intense and aggressive. The one work that comes closest to being more recognizable as
Westlake's music is the Piano Trio. It hovers between tonality and atonality in a way that isn't at all intimidating. The whole trio has a feeling of organic development that even in its most energetic moments can still ripple or float along like water in a rock-strewn channel. All of the ensembles and soloists on this album perform with confidence and give authority to
Westlake's music. Those who give it more than a cursory listen may find it more rewarding than they expected.