ABC Classics is proud to release the recording of Conversations With Ghosts – a unique project combining the talents of revered Australian troubadour Paul Kelly, esteemed recorder virtuoso Genevieve Lacey, composer extraordinaire James Ledger and musicians from the Australian National Academy Of Music (ANAM).
Commissioned by ANAM, the pieces were co-written by Paul Kelly and James Ledger, based on poems by Les Murray, W.B. Yeats, Judith Wright, Lord Alfred Tennyson and others, as well as some new lyrics from Paul. Together they have created a rich and atmospheric 12-track work that touches on the theme of death and mortality. The beautifully warm recording was captured live at Elisabeth Murdoch Hall in Melbourne during a performance in October 2012.
Paul Kelly said of working with ANAM musicians: ‘It’s been a privilege to work with young musicians of such calibre who bring a pure energy to the pieces’.
…and of working with Genevieve Lacey: ‘I think of Genevieve’s recorder as our guide throughout, a kind of Ariel, coming and going, warning and leading, sometimes playing tricks on us but with our best interests at heart’.
James Ledger said of working with Paul Kelly: ‘When the opportunity arose to work with a songwriter – a real songwriter who is so spectacularly good with words – I jumped at the chance and we hit a groove almost immediately in the way we worked’.
