Robbie James: Dreaming in the Sand (String Quintet No. 3 - Live) Robbie James

• Robbie James: (b. 27.10.1953): Dreaming in the Sand (String Quintet No. 3)
• 1 James: Dreaming in the Sand (part one) 03:55
• 2 James: Kangaroo 03:41
• 3 James: Ghost on the Beach 04:15
• 4 James: Kangaroo Rides the Desert Skies 02:22
• 5 James: The Gentle Warrior 02:22
• 6 James: Suzannah Sails 03:52
• 7 James: Dance on the Divide 04:17
• 8 James: The Crow and the Irishman 03:22
• 9 James: Dreaming in the Sand (part two) 04:38
• Total Runtime 32:44

Info for Robbie James: Dreaming in the Sand (String Quintet No. 3 - Live)

James’ third string quintet debuts with a raw emotive performance by Bentley String Quintet laying bare the essence of the composer’s vision.

String Quintet No. 3: Dreaming in the Sand visualises the early stages of colonisation through a dream of a nation founded on inclusivity. This enduring dream continues to shape Australia today.

The piece opens with Dreaming in the Sand, an ode to the Australian landscape, the ancient traditions and the ongoing aspiration for an unreservedly symbiotic relationship between two diverse cultures. The next movement mimics a day in the life of the Kangaroo until a pivotal moment at Kamay (Botany Bay) when James Cook’s arrival in Australia is depicted as a Ghost on the Beach. Following this epochal event, the Kangaroo Rides the Desert Skies as it embarks on a journey to the next world, symbolising the country’s transition to a new era. 

In this narrative, Suzannah Sails with the First Fleet to the southern land and develops a profound connection with an original inhabitant named Wadni, who awaits her arrival on the shore. Discovering his unique abilities, Suzannah came to describe him as The Gentle Warrior. Their bond is expressed by the Dance on the Divide, representing the joining of two disparate worlds and the quest for peace amidst conflict. This theme persists through to the next movement, The Crow and the Irishman, which highlights fleeting moments of unity amidst discord, calling to mind the music the Irish convicts would play to remember the culture they left behind. The composition concludes with Dreaming in the Sand (part two), reaffirming the enduring nature of the dream and pays homage to the ancient Map of Songs that began the story of our nation thousands of generations before the coming of the ships. 

This optimistic work is driven by the words that unite Suzannah and Wadni: “If we can dream of a beautiful world made from two different cultures, then it must be possible.” (Robbie James)

Bentley String Quintet:
Camille Barry, violin I
Eugenie Costello-Shaw, violin II
Charlotte Burbrook de Vere, viola
Danielle Bentley, cello
Chloe-Ann Williamson, bass

Recorded by Brett Cheney, Noise reduction by Kieran Kenderessy
Mastered by Geoff McGahan

Robbie James
The songs of Australian artist Robbie James have been described in reviews by music media in his home country as:

“Elegantly evocative, exhibiting that incredible sense of place that has so powerfully imbued the work of songwriters like Shane Howard and Neil Murray…”

“A truly Australian journal through time and space with deep respect for our vast and varied land...”

“Stories that all Australians can relate to...”

Robbie James has released three solo albums: Suzannah Suite, Secrets In The Sand and 24 Hours A Night. Suzannah Suite is a semi-orchestral song cycle about the displaced people of the European colonisation of Australia, and showcases some of James’ classical aria compositions. Secrets In The Sand, a pop album, is a journey across time and space in Australia. Its first single, Forgotten Beach (Byron Bay) was played by hundreds of radio stations across Australia, the album being nominated ABC’s album of the week. His third album, 24 Hours A Night, is a jazz guitar & voice recording showcasing James’ guitar virtuosity and his ability to write and sing songs in the style of the timeless standards of last century.

Robbie’s band GANGgajang, still recording and touring after 35 years, is regarded as one of the great and important Australian bands. Their songs were an integral part of the music revolution of the 1980s when the Australian sound was reinvented. The band’s most famous song, the timeless Sounds Of Then (This Is Australia), is regarded as one of the all-time classic Australian songs, and is often described as the country’s alternative national anthem.

Alongside GANGgajang, Robbie toured the world for five years with the semi-indigenous Australian band Yothu Yindi. He joined Yothu Yindi when both bands toured Brasil in 2001. This band were the first to put Aboriginal culture on the world stage, and like GANGgajang’s Sounds Of Then, Yothu Yindi’s Treaty is also one of Australia’s greatest ever songs, indeed one of the most important – the first hit in this country to integrate Aboriginal Manakay with western music, sung in the language of both cultures.

Wendy Matthews was a major artist of the 90s, being awarded Best Australian Female Artist two years running. Robbie was one of the principal songwriters on her first three platinum selling albums, contributing songs such as Square Moon, As We Speak, Mother Can’t Do, Homecoming Song and The Ruins Live On. He also played with her band on occasion as a special guest.

Since 2012, Robbie has been a member of Scattered People, a group of musicians who rose out of the Asylum Seeker Centre in Brisbane in 1998. Refugee claimants from various countries were using music to create solidarity with one another. He produced, arranged, performed on and co-wrote their third album Sugarmill Road.

Among the highlights of Robbie’s classical ventures, his string quintet arrangement of GANGgajang’s Sounds Of Then was performed as part of the London Paralympics in 2012. This piece was also performed by the Sydney Youth Orchestra at the New South Wales Premier’s Luncheon Concert in 2004. He was also commissioned twice by the City of Perth to compose extended semi-orchestral arrangements of his own song Nomadsland and Yothu Yindi’s Treaty for their Australia Day Sky Shows in 2000 and 2001.

Booklet for Robbie James: Dreaming in the Sand (String Quintet No. 3 - Live)