The New Zealand debut of Matthew Hindson’s My Brilliant Career, choreographed by Cathy Marston and touring with Royal New Zealand Ballet, has been celebrated by critics. The 50-minute score, paired with Stravinsky’s Firebird, was conducted by Hamish McKeich and performed by Orchestra Wellington, Auckland Philharmonia, and Christchurch Symphony Orchestra. Full details of the 19-date tour (30/04-01/06) are available here.
The original score by Matthew Hindson deserves special mention as it not only keeps the action flowing, but is an equally expressive complement to Marston’s choreography. There is a cinematic sensibility to it, though happily more lyrical…Hindson makes references to 19th-century Australian life, but says his work is rooted in the 21st century…The score never overshadows the ballet but, at the same time, can stand alone as a musical score to be listened to independently.
Lucire (Jack Yan) 30 April 2025
…an intriguing original score by composer Matthew Hindson…Marston’s approach to building dance works in partnership with composition and dramaturgy results in a cohesively layered ballet…movement motifs are complemented by varied musical influences and leitmotifs, character arcs are considered and interwoven with choreography.
DANZ (Brigitte Knight) 8 May 2025
The work is Hindson’s second narrative ballet, following A Comedy of Errors, which premiered with the Sarasota Ballet in spring 2022. It was commissioned by the Queensland Ballet and debuted in June 2023; see the dancers of the Queensland Ballet rehearsing My Brilliant Career here. It is one of several novels adapted by Marston for the stage, a process she describes in an interview with Limelight here.
The 1901 story by Miles Franklin, one of Australia’s major early-twentieth-century writers, follows Sybylla Melvyn as she strives to break free from her stifling rural upbringing. Her chance comes when she travels to her grandmother’s estate in Caddagat, where she experiences a cultural and romantic awakening. Marriage proposals follow, explode Sybylla’s conflicts and insecurities. She flees back home, where one object of her affections ultimately seeks her out.
Hindson’s score draws on a variety of styles in painting its musical portraits. The flirtation between Sybylla and Harry imagines the soundtrack to a fictitious1930s movie. The grandmother is suggested by music redolent of a French Baroque overture; a garden party features a string quartet providing background music, as well as a vigorous bush dance. Sybylla’s optimistic, headstrong outlook is suggested in an ascending musical line; Harry’s music, on the other hand, is more grounded and forthright.