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Small ensemble

Davidson composes frequently for chamber music ensembles, and is very active himself as a bassist in chamber performances.

String Quartet no 1 (1996)

A brooding opening gives way to energised solos until ecstatic counterpoint builds up line by line

"Naomi" for String Quartet (2014)

Tender lyricism, hushed stillness and airborne widely-spaced melody characterise this portrait piece.

String trio

I came to write a trio for violin, viola and double bass partly out of a desire to play in such a trio myself as a bassist.  It is a particularly resonant ensemble, and the bass is free to occupy a wide range with no cello as competition.

Performed here by Evgeniy Subbotin (violin), Serge Poltavsky (viola), Grigory Krotenko (bass).

Landscape

The area around the Glasshouse Mountains in southeast Queensland is the inspiration for the work. This is a landscape dominated by boldly shaped mountains, possessing for me a sense of great age and a certain violence - these mountains were once inside volcanoes. There is a great variety of topography in Landscape's landscape, including large placid lakes, ocean, wide plains, rainforest and scrubby bush. The music reflects this diversity with a range of contrasting textures.

Performed here by SaveAsMusic

Landscape (guitar quintet version)

The area around the Glasshouse Mountains in southeast Queensland is the inspiration for the work. This is a landscape dominated by boldly shaped mountains, possessing for me a sense of great age and a certain violence - these mountains were once inside volcanoes. There is a great variety of topography in Landscape's landscape, including large placid lakes, ocean, wide plains, rainforest and scrubby bush. The music reflects this diversity with a range of contrasting textures.

Performed by Matt Withers and the Acacia Quartet - album here:

https://mattwithers.com.au/imaginations/

River

Evocative lyrical composition for guitar quartet, inspired by locations around the Brisbane River. Intricate contrapuntal lines mesh together to create a complex rhythmic interplay.

Performed and commissioned by the Melbourne Guitar Quartet

Cliffs

Lyrical work for four guitars inspired by locations around the Kangaroo Point cliffs in Brisbane. Performed and commissioned by the Melbourne Guitar Quartet.

Above Ground (percussion concerto)

This percussion concerto was commissioned by Karak and the Brisbane Symphony Orchestra, and its rescoring for chamber forces was commissioned by Musica Viva. The work draws together several diverse genres, including 1970s television music and the classical concerto.

Exterior

Exterior is one of the four movements in “Four Places”, which are each inspired by different architectural spaces. This movement is about an imagined large temple’s forecourt. Performed by Topology (Bernard Hoey, viola; John Babbage, soprano sax; Robert Davidson, bass)

Glare

Performed here by one clever guy! This contrapuntal piece for trumpet, strings and piano is a play on the word: the glare from the sun, and a glare given to you when you do something anti-social.