Peter Wockner's interview with composer Gary Daley 2 March 2015

Historical article recovered from a Wayback capture dated 2018-02-24.

Peter Wockner:

The idea of music as a sanctuary is, I dare say, a common theme for many people. A place where one can find peace and harmony. I can certainly relate to that. It wasn’t however the reason I first became interested in music, that was through the influence of my father. How did you become interested in music and how did your involvement develop?

Gary Daley:

My first impulse to play an instrument came after hearing the piano accordion on TV. I was around 8 years old and was instantly hooked by the colour and sound of this instrument. My parents fostered my interest, bought an instrument and enrolled me in lessons. It was my grandfather, however, who showed the most enthusiasm for my musical development. He was an amateur musician, completely self taught with loads of natural ability. I guess he could see in me the possibility of achieving something he never could. His commitment was central to my development.

PW:

Given the compositions on ‘Sanctuary’ were written during both times of personal stress and elation, there must be qualities of pleasure and pain in this music.

Can you describe how you used your energies to write this music?

GD:

I was experiencing two extremes of life ie my mother suffering with a terminal illness and a new beginning with the birth of my granddaughter. Obviously these are all consuming events and will illicit many different responses in people. To some degree your reaction comes down to where your focus is and mine was to concentrate on what we had and could still celebrate not on what we were losing. There were many things that where difficult and distressing about Mum’s journey but in the end you try to tackle it head on and make the best of the situation. I was not naive or unrealistic about it but I chose to make this part her life as positive as I possibly could. This is primarily where the title of this work, Sanctuary, came from. It was about creating an environment where she was safe, as happy as possible and cared for. Pretty much the same things I wish for my granddaughter and this is where my energies were concentrated. This inevitably lead to me contemplating many other familial connections and my own childhood history which also feed into the music. The music has a positive spirit as this was ( is ) my orientation. For the most part I’m an optimist and I guess this comes out in the music.

PW:

What particular qualities in your accompanying artists you’ve chose for this project were you looking for?

GD:

I’m drawn to the idea of the marriage of disparate musical traditions. This in turn leads into bringing together performers from different traditions. The Sanctuary band is eclectic and features performers with backgrounds in classical , jazz , bluegrass/roots and world music genres. They are a diverse group of musical personalities and I deliberately chose them for this reason. My listening, practise and study of music ranges widely and I hope this naturally feeds into my music, however, the genre hopping does come with risks and dangers regarding finding a workable synthesis. The common denominator with the artists in the Sanctuary band is improvisation and an eagerness from each performer to work with people from other traditions.

PW:

You’re talents span across both piano and piano accordion. Do you have any particular preference for either instrument or does it depend upon other factors such as the type of material you’re performing?

GD:

I don’t in think terms of preferences regarding the accordion or piano. The piano of course is the most flexible of instruments but I’m constantly surprised at how the accordion can insinuate itself in so many musical situations with surprising results. I try not to limit the possibilities or make hard and fast decisions about repertoire and instrument choice. Notwithstanding, there are significant differences between accordion and piano ie one is based on percussion and the other reeds and air with no sustain and this does sometimes affect ones choices. In the previous question I talked about marrying different traditions and players in unexpected ways & I have a similar approach with the instruments I play.

PW:

Ultra high fidelity is gaining some traction in the market, possibly as artists discover a niche against the contrast of mediocre mP3 sound quality. What was your primary motivation to record this way and how would you describe the tangible differences a listener can expect from a recording made with ultra high resolution?

GD:

Recording Sanctuary was a collaborative exercise between myself, engineer Ross A’hern and musician/producer Ben Gurton. Their company, Mir Creation, is focusing on high res, surround sound recordings. I am attracted to the idea of representing every possible nuance of sound and creating an immersive experience for the listener which can be achieved recording at 24bit/192khz. They and I strongly felt the Sanctuary project ideally suited this approach. In addition I became very excited about finding a space which in affect could become an active participant in the process. Almost like another instrument . We found this in the beautiful Cerretti chapel in Manly NSW. The acoustic nature of the instruments were perfectly suited to the acoustic of this space and the intent was to capture the ensemble sound in as natural way as possible. One of my ideas in this music was to create an ensemble sound which to me is the sonic embodiment of a Sanctuary ie a harbour or safe place. The marriage of this concept with a physical Sanctuary such as the chapel and surround sound presented a tantalising opportunity to more fully realise the concepts behind the music.

PW:

What plans are in store for the future of this project beyond the CD launch?

GD:

In collaboration with Mir Creation I am hoping to release a surround sound version of the recording in the near future. More performances are planned as well. In addition I’m working on another project for the Sanctuary band. I believe it is a unique ensemble on the Australian scene.