Mental Load (2019)
4 minutes
for two sopranos (or mezzo sopranos) with piano
Commissioned by Cheryl Pickering and Various People Inc. for 'Household Names'
First performance by Kate Macfarlane (soprano), Cheryl Pickering (mezzo soprano) and Sachiko Hidaka (piano) at the Port Fairy Spring Festival, October 2019.
Lyrics by Cheryl Pickering.
4 minutes
for two sopranos (or mezzo sopranos) with piano
Commissioned by Cheryl Pickering and Various People Inc. for 'Household Names'
First performance by Kate Macfarlane (soprano), Cheryl Pickering (mezzo soprano) and Sachiko Hidaka (piano) at the Port Fairy Spring Festival, October 2019.
Lyrics by Cheryl Pickering.
Hey.. I'm kind of busy. I'll be back in a couple of days.
There's a casserole in the freezer... four minutes... on high.....
Sweetheart, I did tell you, the keys are on the hook by the kettle...
laundry cupboard, bottom left corner...
batteries are in the hallway cupboard...
finish your maths assignment, then you can go...
yes Mum, I can still take you to your appointment...
yes, I read your email...
I'll be back soon...
-extract from 'Mental Load' by Cheryl Pickering-
There's a casserole in the freezer... four minutes... on high.....
Sweetheart, I did tell you, the keys are on the hook by the kettle...
laundry cupboard, bottom left corner...
batteries are in the hallway cupboard...
finish your maths assignment, then you can go...
yes Mum, I can still take you to your appointment...
yes, I read your email...
I'll be back soon...
-extract from 'Mental Load' by Cheryl Pickering-
The working woman's life... sound familiar? The constant juggle, the being needed, the wanting to help, the tension between what is in front of you and what you've left at home.
Mental Load was commissioned as a theatrical opener to Household Names, an affectionate, personal glimpse of a female artists' work/life balance in 200 year instalments. Inspired by the 2019 birth anniversaries of Barbara Strozzi (400 years) and Clara Schumann (200 years), Household Names celebrates the life and work of these two towering musicians.
My duet was the concert opener- as audience members reclined with a cup of tea or glass of wine (and in some performances, cake!) the performers hurried about the space, taking phone calls and managing their personal and professional affairs from afar, in the few minutes before the concert officially began. A reprise (approximately 2 minutes duration) of the work at the end of the show revisited some of the opening hasty angst, before slowing down and settling into an acceptance of 'me time'.
Please contact the composer if you would like more information, or to see the full score.
Mental Load was commissioned as a theatrical opener to Household Names, an affectionate, personal glimpse of a female artists' work/life balance in 200 year instalments. Inspired by the 2019 birth anniversaries of Barbara Strozzi (400 years) and Clara Schumann (200 years), Household Names celebrates the life and work of these two towering musicians.
My duet was the concert opener- as audience members reclined with a cup of tea or glass of wine (and in some performances, cake!) the performers hurried about the space, taking phone calls and managing their personal and professional affairs from afar, in the few minutes before the concert officially began. A reprise (approximately 2 minutes duration) of the work at the end of the show revisited some of the opening hasty angst, before slowing down and settling into an acceptance of 'me time'.
Please contact the composer if you would like more information, or to see the full score.