Sotto Voce Claire Deak

• Claire Deak: Dolce Tormento:
• 1 Deak: Dolce Tormento 04:22
• Liberated Sighs:
• 2 Deak: Liberated Sighs 05:17
• In Defiance of Time:
• 3 Deak: In Defiance of Time 05:50
• Dampen the Waves:
• 4 Deak: Dampen the Waves 03:36
• Quarrel of the Senses (Serenata):
• 5 Deak: Quarrel of the Senses (Serenata) 04:38
• The Fading Lovers:
• 6 Deak: The Fading Lovers 05:15
• A Million Cloaked Ghosts:
• 7 Deak: A Million Cloaked Ghosts 04:11
• Prefigured (Ritornello):
• 8 Deak: Prefigured (Ritornello) 08:17
• Total Runtime 41:26

Info for Sotto Voce

Sotto Voce may technically be the debut solo album by composer & multi-instrumentalist Claire Deak, but it should be noted that it represents the artistic summation of a considerable amount of both musical experience and scholarship. The title of the album is taken from an Italian expression that refers to speaking or singing so as not to be overheard (literally under the voice) and the music it contains is indeed an understated, abstract exploration that begins with a focus on the music of the early baroque, particularly the work of two 17th century women composers – Francesca Caccini and Barbara Stozzi.

Up until recently, composer and multi-instrumentalist Claire Deak dedicated most of her music-making to others: for film, television and theatre productions, as well as for bandmates and songwriters in need of colourful arrangements. In 2020 Claire released her acclaimed collaborative album with Tony Dupé (saddleback), 'the old capital' through US label Lost Tribe Sound and has since contributed to various celebrated compilations and remix releases as a solo artist.

Claire’s solo work is heightened by her experiences building unique sonic worlds and swaying atmosphere and narrative within screen productions. She has nurtured a deep interest in timbre and tactile DIY approaches, balancing uniqueness and authorship with the invested collaboration that comes with filmmaking.

Claire also lectures in composition and sound. She presently lives and works on unceded Wurundjeri Woi-Wurrung Country (Melbourne, Australia).

From a pure listening perspective, the album is an aural feast that feels as warm & organic as it does beguilingly mysterious. Recorded in a 19th-century wooden church, the music was performed by the “Sotto Voce Consort” which includes Deak playing a plethora of instruments herself along with Lizzy Welsh, Judith Hamann, Edwina Cordingley, Lucy Adlington, and Tony Dupé. Through the incorporation of reel-to-reel revox and thoughtful mixing process, the pieces explore not just the compositional ideas found in the music of the baroque composers but what Deak refers to as the “sensorial qualities” gleaned from her research into the era. All of this makes Sotto Voce a remarkable achievement that begs to be heard repeatedly with new secrets to reveal on each listen.

Sotto Voce Consort:
Lizzy Welsh, baroque violin, viola d’amore, treble viola da gamba
Judith Hamman, modern cello
Tony Dupé, modern violin, viola, cello, contrabass
Edwina Cordingley, baroque cello
Lucy Adlington, lute
Claire Deak, vocals, harp, organ, piano accordion, piano, vibraphone, glockenspiel, mandolin, parlour guitar, bandura, clarinet, bass recorder, handbells, cymbals, organelle, transducers, tape manipulation

Tony Dupé
is a producer/engineer, arranger, composer and multi instrumentalist. He has produced around 100 albums for Australian and overseas artists, including Holly Throsby, Sui Zhen, Jack Ladder, Grand Salvo, Melodie Nelson, and Sophie Hutchings. He has also released two albums of his own music under the name Saddleback on local label Preservation. You can read our review of Night Maps here.

Claire Deak
is a multi-instrumentalist and composer predominantly working in screen composition where she has scored animation, documentary, and television, including the 2017 series Other Peoples Problems and The Casting Game. She has also guested on albums by The Bon Scott’s, Lucy Roleff and Shanyio, playing everything from mandolin to organ.

Working from their base in Melbourne, their new album The Old Capital is released on impressive US label Lost Tribe Sound (William Ryan Fritch). It’s a gorgeous considered work of quiet contemplation and stillness where the two come together and really sound as one. It really is something special. We took the opportunity to ask both artists about some of the music that moves them.

This album contains no booklet.