Elena Kats-Chernin Elena Kats-Chernin i(A89738 works by)
Born: Established: 1959 Tashkent,
c
Uzbekistan,
c
Central Asia, Asia,
;
Gender: Female
Arrived in Australia: ca. 1974
The material on this page is available to AustLit subscribers. If you are a subscriber or are from a subscribing organisation, please log in to gain full access. To explore options for subscribing to this unique teaching, research, and publishing resource for Australian culture and storytelling, please contact us or find out more.

Works By

Preview all
1 Elena Kats-Chernin Elena Kats-Chernin , 2022 single work biography
— Appears in: Turning Points : 25 Remarkable Australians and the Moments That Changed Their Lives 2022;
1 Tree Grave Elena Kats-Chernin (composer), Australian String Quartet (composer), 2019 single work lyric/song
— Appears in: The Glad Tomorrow 2019;
1 3 Whiteley Justin Fleming , Elena Kats-Chernin (composer), 2019 single work musical theatre opera

'Artist. Rebel. Icon.

'He burst onto the international art scene, all golden curls and bravado. He was dynamic, damaged, a big idea and a bold brush. With the vivacious Wendy on his arm, Brett Whiteley was magnetic.

'He abhorred straight lines, adored drugs, alcohol, women. He worked in vivid colour and ravishing curves. Heroin was both muse and merciless master. Out of this tumultuous life spilled a messy array of brilliant artworks and astonishing self-reflection.

'In 2019, this Australian icon meets two of Australia’s greatest artists in a brand new work for the Australian stage: Whiteley, by Elena Kats-Chernin and Justin Fleming.

'Kats-Chernin is peerless among contemporary composers, celebrated for her enormous output and music that bursts with colour, life and tenderness. Fleming is a respected playwright and librettist whose work is renowned for its warmth, wit and poignancy.

'Together they’ve created an opera to honour the life and work of a man who could not extricate his talent from his demons.

'Production designer Dan Potra’s technology-driven set is an immersive world created from Whiteley’s most famous paintings. Experience the works of a modern master on moving, larger-than-life screens.' (Production summary)

1 1 The Diggers’ Requiem Nigel Westlake (composer), Elena Kats-Chernin (composer), Richard Mills (composer), Grahame Koehne (composer), Ross Edwards (composer), Andrew Schultz (composer), Christopher Latham (composer), 2018 single work musical theatre

'The Diggers’ Requiem is a moving and beautiful Australian tribute to the 100th anniversary of the end of World War One. The newly formed Australian War Memorial Orchestra and Choir along with members of the Band of the Royal Military College Duntroon, will be directed by Christopher Latham.

'The Requiem represents - in 12 movements - the battles of Fromelles, Pozières, Bapaume, Bullecourt, Villers-Bretonneux, Hamel, Amiens, Péronne and Mont Saint-Quentin, Bellenglise, Montbrehain, Ypres and Passchendaele in Belgium. It refers to death of the Red Baron and the charge of Beersheba in Palestine, which was the last great charge of cavalry. 62,000 bells representing each Australian who died are incorporated into the last movement, Lux Aeterna.

'The different movements were written by some of the greatest Australian contemporary composers, as well as the recently discovered Frederick Septimus Kelly, who died at Beaumon-Hamel in 1916. His Lament of the Somme, which evokes the Battle of Pozières, near Albert, was written just two weeks before his death. Elena Kats-Chernin, who finished writing her piece last year, will evoke the battle of Bullecourt in the Pas-de-Calais. Alex Lithgow who wrote the stirring Victoria March, which was played by the Australian Army as it marched into Bapaume in 1917, has his work incorporated into Nigel Westlake’s the Glass Soldier, a piece for trumpet and orchestra. A lone piper plays a lament by Pipe-Major John Grant in the last movement.

'This extraordinary symphonic work was devised and curated by Christopher Latham, Artistic Director of the Flowers of War project, and the first musical artist-in-residence at the Australian War Memorial.' (Production summary)

1 Late Spring Judith Wright , Elena Kats-Chernin (composer), 2016 single work lyric/song
— Appears in: With Love and Fury 2016;
1 1 The Gallipoli Symphony Omar Faruk Tekbilek (composer), Gareth Farr (composer), Richard Nunns (composer), Grahame Koehne (composer), Peter Sculthorpe (composer), Elena Kats-Chernin (composer), Kamran Ince (composer), Ross Harris (composer), Andrew Schultz (composer), Ross Edwards (composer), Demir Demirkan (composer), Grahame Koehne (composer), 2015 single work musical theatre

'The story of the Gallipoli campaign is everlasting. It is a story of endeavour, courage, tragedy, great achievements and great sacrifices. It is a story of young nations and old coming together in conflict. It is, most of all a human story, of the spectrum of human emotions. This story is woven into the fabric of Australia, New Zealand and Turkey. Millions of words have been written about the campaign, but the story has never been ‘narrated’ musically, until now.

'The Gallipoli Symphony is a major composition produced by internationally respected composers from Australia, New Zealand and Turkey. It represents the first time ever that eleven acclaimed composers from three nations that fought in the campaign have collaborated on a single commemorative work of this scale.

'The Gallipoli story was structured into parts, like chapters in a book, each themed around an element of the campaign and assigned to a composer to create a work based on that theme.

  • Gelibolu : Omar Faruk Tekbilek (Turkey)
  • He Poroporaoki (Farewell): Gareth Farr and Richard Nunns (New Zealand)
  • The Voyage : Graeme Koehne AO (Australia)
  • Thoughts of Home : Peter Sculthorpe AO OBE (Australia)
  • The Landing : Elena Kats-Chernin (Australia)
  • The Invasion : Kamran Ince (Turkey)
  • God Pity Us Poor Soldiers : Ross Harris (New Zealand)
  • The August Offensive : Andrew Schultz (Australia)
  • The Trenches Are Empty Now : Ross Edwards (Australia)
  • Hope of the Higher Heart : Demir Demirkan (Turkey)
  • Future : Graeme Koehne AO (Australia)

'Every year since 2006 a movement of the Symphony has been presented at Gallipoli. Leading classical and traditional musicians engaged from Turkey, Australia and New Zealand, augmented by musicians drawn from the Australian and New Zealand military bands performed a piece of The Gallipoli Symphony in the early hours of 25 April for the thousands of attendees awaiting the Dawn Service.

'After ten years in the making, The Gallipoli Symphony will be performed for the world in 2015.

'The Gallipoli Symphony creates an important legacy. It tells the story of the Gallipoli campaign through music; reminding us of the horror and the heartache and carrying a message of hope, peace, friendship and collaboration between nations.' (Publication summary)

1 7 form y separately published work icon The Divorce Joanna Murray-Smith , Elena Kats-Chernin (composer), ( dir. Dean Murphy ) Australia : Australian Broadcasting Corporation , 2015 8828846 2015 series - publisher film/TV opera

'In this musical soap era, [sic] wealthy couple Iris (Marina Prior) and Jed (John O’May) are getting a "modern" divorce after a long and satisfying marriage, and are throwing an elaborate party at their elegant home to celebrate. But by the end of the evening, Iris and Jed’s divorce has triggered a renegotiation of all that had seemed certain, and the characters are each set on an unanticipated course.'

Source:

'Creating a Four-Part Divorce', The Screen Blog, 12 August 2015. (Sighted: 24/8/2015)

1 1 My Country Elena Kats-Chernin (composer), 2012 single work lyric/song
1 y separately published work icon Butterflying : For Children's Choir and Piano Christopher Latham , Elena Kats-Chernin (composer), 2004 Z1203688 2004 single work lyric/song
1 y separately published work icon Memorial Rag Elena Kats-Chernin , Christopher Latham , Elena Kats-Chernin (composer), 2001 Z1203685 2001 single work lyric/song
X