Graham Ashton

Birdsong

Deutsch Birdsong was inspired by a dream about a rather unusual journey through the rainforest of northern Queensland, Australia. The sounds of the exotic birds there are truly overwhelming. At the center of the dream was Igor Stravinsky, soaring high above in a majestic Technicolor animation of his Firebird; also featured was Gustav Mahler, trudging along with a giant double bass on his back. Salvador Dalí made brief appearances time and again, constantly twitching his mustache and ringing his "little bell." The central voice in Birdsong is the didgeridoo, the instrument of Australia’s Indigenous peoples, which is crafted from the branches of the jarrah tree. For performances by a brass quintet, a slide didgeridoo is recommended instead of using two didgeridoos in low E and B. The tuba player or bass trombonist should take on the didgeridoo part, with the pianist and percussionist as guest performers. The didgeridoo requires some amplification to maintain balance with the other instruments. Birdsong was recorded by the Graham Ashton Brass Ensemble for Signum Classics (SIGCD504) and is available on the BIM website.