His Life and Music

His Life and Music
Live album by Gurrumul and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra
Released	6 December 2013
Recorded	28/29 May 2013
Genre	World music, Aboriginal
Label	Skinnyfish Music ABC Music
Gurrumul albums chronology
Rrakala (2011) His Life and Music (2013) The Gospel Album (2015)

His Life and Music is a live album by Gurrumul and The Sydney Symphony Orchestra. The album was recorded live at the Sydney Opera House for Vivid Festival in May 2013, ^[1] and released through ABC Music.

The recording features Gurrumul, in a world-first collaboration with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, performing a collection of songs from his award-winning albums. Also included on the album are introductions from Gurrumul's family that provide a rare insight into the people, the country and the stories behind some of his most popular songs. ^[2]

The album was released on 6 December 2013 ^[3] and peaked at #48 on the ARIA album's chart. ^[4]

At the AIR Awards of 2014, the album won Best Independent Classical Album. ^[5]

Reviews

Tyler McLoughlan from The Music gave the album 4 1/2 stars out of 5, saying; "Gurrumul has a habit of evoking an array of overwhelming emotions in a live setting that don't even exist in the toolbox of most performers" and "[it] is a thrilling piece of the live Gurrumul experience to take home". ^[6]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Performer/s	Length
1.	"Wiyathul"	Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu	Gurrumul	6:35
2.	"Welcome and Introduction"		Michael Hohnen	1:21
3.	"Bapa"	Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu	Gurrumul & Sydney Symphony Orchestra	2:48
4.	"Introduction to Djarimirri"		Susan Dhangal Gurruwiwi	0:44
5.	"Djarimirri"	Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu	Gurrumul & Sydney Symphony Orchestra	3:45
6.	"Introduction to Djilawurr"		Johnny Gurrumgurrum Burrawanga	1:30
7.	"Djilawurr"	Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu	Gurrumul & Sydney Symphony Orchestra	4:11
8.	"Introduction to Marwurrumburr"		Susan Dhangal Gurruwiwi	1:15
9.	"Marwurrumburr"	Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu	Gurrumul & Sydney Symphony Orchestra	3:13
10.	"Introduction to Baru"		Michael Hohnen	2:02
11.	"Baru"	Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu	Gurrumul & Sydney Symphony Orchestra	4:40
12.	"Introduction to Wukan"		Susan Dhangal Gurruwiwi	1:55
13.	"Wukan"	Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu	Gurrumul & Sydney Symphony Orchestra	4:34
14.	"Gurrumul History (I Was Born Blind)"	Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu	Gurrumul & Sydney Symphony Orchestra	6:35
15.	"Gathu Mawula"	Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu	Gurrumul & Sydney Symphony Orchestra	4:47

Awards

Australian Independent Record Labels Association Awards ^[7]

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
2014	"His Life and Music"	Best Independent Classical Album	Won

Australian Recording Industry Association Awards ^[8]

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
2014	"His Life and Music"	Best Male Artist	Nominated
		Best Original Soundtrack/Cast/Show Album	Won

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2013)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA) [9]	48

References

1. "gurrumul-his-life-and-music-cd". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. December 2013. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
2. "NEW RELEASE – Gurrumul and The Sydney Symphony". gurrumul.com. December 2013. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
3. "His Life and Music". iTunes Australia. Archived from the original on 6 December 2014. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
4. "GURRUMUL YUNUPINGU & THE SYDNEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA – HIS LIFE AND MUSIC (ALBUM)". australian charts. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
5. "History Wins". Australian Independent Record Labels Association . Archived from the original on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
6. Tyler McLoughlan (4 December 2013). "Gurrumul & The Sydney Symphony Orchestra – His Life And Music". themusic.com.au. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
7. "2014 Independent Music Awards". AUSTRALIAN INDEPENDENT RECORD LABELS ASSOCIATION. Archived from the original on 7 October 2014. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
8. "2014 ARIA AWARDS CONNECTED BY TELSTRA NOMINATED ARTISTS REVEALED". Australian Recording Industry Association. 8 October 2014. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
9. "Australiancharts.com – Gurrumul – His Life and Music)". Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 April 2018.