Spirit Visions for two pianos

Spirit Visions was composed after a professional meeting in 2002 between the composer, Margaret Brandman and Sydney organist and clairvoyant Robert Goode who was performing at Sydney Town Hall at the time and for whom Margaret had done a musical arrangement.

This expansive melody with lush chords was originally inspired by the tone colours of the Sydney Town Hall organ on which Robert performed and Margaret, through good fortune, was given an opportunity to improvise upon.

Beginning with the largo theme in a major key, the piece explores several variations in tempo, rhythmic feel, mood and key, providing topics of musical conversation for the two performers.

Following the slow and majestic opening theme, Sections D, E and H introduce a syncopated bass line which lends a Latin American feel to these sections of the piece.

The Latin American harmonic element is reinforced at Letter E where the work modulates to the tonic minor (parallel minor). There is then a transition to the dominant minor key at Letter G, where the mood becomes pensive before the piece takes off at Letter H into a lively Latin American romp. There is a final rounding out of the piece with the return of the main theme in the tonic key at Letter I followed by a short coda at bar 122.

On the 17th of December 2009, the work was premiered by duo pianists Jenny Hammond and Frank O’Brien at a concert at the Joan Sutherland Centre in Penrith NSW.

Spirit Visions was performed again by Meriel Owen and Donna Riles at the Orange Regional Conservatorium, in the Hear it on the Grapevine concert, on the 24th of June 2011.

The work has been recorded by the composer Margaret Brandman and Sydney based pianist and and jazz musician Marcello Maio.