Thanks to Tim Blair who pointed this out on his blog yesterday.   I've republished some of what Tim put up and added a fair bit to it - because I love great music and what it can do.   It's a tragedy to see money and talent thrown away on rubbish like this Gillard-inspired creation from The Australian Voices.

The mission of The Australian Voices is to commission, perform, record and promote the music of Australian composers to the highest international artistic standards.

Tim Blair showcased here the abject horror of The Australian Voices and their choral creation "Not Now, Not Ever!" - the Gillard misogyny speech put to something approximating music.   There is some amusement in watching the earnest young people sing Gillard's tortured vowels in voices that show some training in elocution, enunciation and projection - but beyond that it's difficult to see how Australia's cultural life is in any way advanced by this "work".

The Australian Voices website is here.   The group lists its supporters here.

The Australian Voices are an Ensemble-in-Residence at the Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University.

                     www.gordonhamilton.com.au

Ms Jan Baker-Finch
Ms Felicity Boevink: www.felicityboevink.com
Mr David Collins: www.blackboxphotography.com.au
Mr Martin Ingle: website
Ms Marialy Pacheco: www.marialypacheco.net
Mr Andrew Pennay: website
Ms Elena Schak

Compare and contrast The Australian Voices and their Gillard prose with this poem much beloved of Germans.

In 1785 the German poet, playwright and historian, Friedrich Schiller wrote a poem with universally beautiful sentiments called "Ode to Joy" ("Ode an die Freude").   It's difficult to find anything divisive or dissembling in Schiller's writing - and more than a dozen composers have set his work to music, including Tchaikovsky whose Russian language translation was first heard in 1865.

But it was the genius of Beethoven who created for the world something of sublime and indescribable beauty - using Schiller's words.

In 1817 the 4 year old Philharmonic Society of London commissioned Beethoven to write his 9th Symphony.   The Society was a registered charity.    There was no government grant.   There were no permanent London orchestras at the time.   Beethoven accepted the commission and his 9th Symphony with its choral finale, Ode to Joy was premiered in Vienna in 1824.

It's an anthem, hymn, celebration of noble ideas and at its heart it is music that lets us all enjoy our shared humanity.   It's been played at countless huge events - Bernstein conducted it at the Brandenburg Gate to celebrate the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Here the late Leonard Bernstein tells a little of the symphony's story.   I've included Schiller's words beneath the video.   Humans can do great things.   Music has unimaginable power to unite us and to inspire us.   And so do truly great words, thoughts and ideas.

What is to stop us from finding our Australian Schiller, our Beethoven when we have so much money to spend on Australian "art".    I know one thing with certainty - the answer is not in those divisive, fighting words from Ms Gillard.  

It's difficult to see why any government funding associated with the Gillard PR piece ought not go back from whence it came - I hope it does and that said, forget that rubbish!!

Here's to our humanity and us at our best!

There's more - give yourself about 70 odd minutes if you can afford the time and enjoy the whole symphony.   It will help you forget some of those awful last few years in Australia!!!!!