‘The Weight of Air’ is a 31-minute album of classical works created in collaboration with my wife, Amanda Buckley. The works form part of an exhibition ‘The Weight of Air’, shown at QCAD Galleries, Brisbane from September 30 – October 10, 2026.
You can listen to the album on all the platforms, including:
You can also download each track from the library – details further below!
About the Exhibition
The central work of the exhibition is ‘Them That Hold The Weight of Air’ (see below), a large woven work that is suspended in space.
‘Them That Hold the Weight of Air’ by Amanda Buckley. (Photo by Alix Dubois Photography)
Amanda also created a 5-metre rubbing (sometimes called a ‘frottage’) from the edges of the work on Japanese washi paper (see below). Amanda then decided it might be fun to give this to me as the basis for a graphical score, to be translated into music.
A small section of the rubbing that was used as a graphical score for my musical translations
The four works on the album represent four completely independent interpretations of the score she provided. The names of the works – Anabasis and Katabasis – are Greek words for different movements or journeys – Anabasis being an ascension, and Katabasis being a descent. They simply indicate the motion of the sweeping glissando strings at the beginning of each work (either ascending or descending).
This whole process was fascinating and challenging for me – never before have I really attempted to make anything that could be classed as ‘art music’. The process of interpreting Amanda’s marks into music led me to create harmonies and textures I would likely NEVER have attempted otherwise. The works often have a lot of dissonance and texture which can be difficult to listen to, but there are also moments of real clarity and beauty – all unexpected and unplanned, but very welcome.
Anabasis I – https://www.scottbuckley.com.au/library/anabasis-i/
A slow, atmospheric work with lots of textural, dissonance harmonies and elements that often feel quite suspenseful and spooky but sometimes gives way to moments of calm and clarity – but never quite fully resolving.
Anabasis II – https://www.scottbuckley.com.au/library/anabasis-ii/
The most frenetic work on the album – short, rhythmic violins provide a backdrop for meandering solo strings to explore texture and colour.
Katabasis I – https://www.scottbuckley.com.au/library/anabasis-ii/
Slow and languid, and quite dark and textural, with low strings acting as the spine of the work.
Katabasis II – https://www.scottbuckley.com.au/library/katabasis-ii/
This work bubbles with energy, provided by rhythmic low strings and glittery tremolos. The meandering cellos provide a restrained optimism.
I hope you enjoy it! This is definitely not the usual kind of work I release into the library, but it was an incredible experience for me, and I hope you all find some enjoyment from it. The library has always been about experimentation and exploration – and this definitely qualifies!
