Performer Reflection: Ten Songs for Soprano and Piano by Martin and Peter Wesley-Smith
Some repertoire makes a lasting impression
Nicole’s connection with Martin Wesley-Smith’s music began in 1996 when she joined The Song Company, one of Australia’s most influential vocal ensembles. Through that introduction, she had the privilege of working with Martin on numerous occasions over more than two decades, continuing until his death in 2019.
During that time, she performed a wide range of his vocal repertoire, including works for solo voice, vocal quartet, sextet and larger ensemble formations, as well as his innovative multimedia works that combined music, text, image and theatre. These projects frequently brought performers into direct collaboration with both Martin and his twin brother, Peter Wesley-Smith, whose texts formed the basis of many of Martin’s vocal compositions.
What made these experiences particularly valuable was the opportunity to engage directly with the creative process. Discussions often extended beyond notes and rhythms to encompass questions of text interpretation, vocal colour, character, dramatic intention and communication. Martin was deeply interested in the expressive possibilities of the human voice and encouraged performers to explore the theatrical, emotional and intellectual dimensions of his work. Through rehearsals, performances and conversations, not only Nicole, but any musician working with Martin gained insight not only into the compositions themselves but also into the artistic philosophies that shaped them.
Nicole observed:
“Over many years, this close engagement fostered both a deep appreciation for Martin’s contribution to Australian vocal music and a personal understanding of the artistic partnership between the Wesley-Smith brothers. Their collaborative works occupy a unique place within Australian art song, combining literary sophistication, humour, social commentary and emotional depth in ways that continually reward performers and audiences alike.”
It was this long-standing relationship with the repertoire, the composer and the creative ideas underpinning his works that ultimately led Nicole to undertake a Master’s research project Shining a light: Interpreting vocal works through collaboration in the recording studio. anchored around the Ten Songs for Soprano and Piano. This research provided an opportunity to explore, document and reflect upon a composer that had accompanied much of her professional artistic life.
As she reflected:
“I was reintroduced to this collection of songs during my Master’s research, following Martin’s passing in 2019, and what struck me immediately was its refusal to sit comfortably inside a single emotional or musical world. The songs move between humour, vulnerability, irony, intimacy and theatricality with remarkable fluidity. They ask the performer not simply to “sing well,” but to think, respond, communicate and risk honesty.”
Australian art song often demands this kind of openness from performers.