Australian Music Centre | Breaking sound barriers

Work Overview

What could be easier than writing about love? Even when your medium is music and not words alone, what theme could be more ubiquitous, more pervasive, more essential? With a myriad of songs, poems and stories already in existence and countless more yet to come, what is it I want to say about this topic that affects us all?

Upon receiving this commission from Sydney Chamber Choir, my thoughts went to the much-recited 'love chapter' of 1 Corinthians. These verses are staples of wedding services and religious sermons, and yet like many oft-repeated verses, the depth and magnitude of their meaning can easily be lost in quick recitations or a hurried skim-read. In setting these timeless words, I sought simplicity and directness. I wanted to sit inside the words, attempt to grasp the enormity of their meaning, and reflect some of the pure and holy truth that I believe they explore.

The main themes came very easily; it was the pacing of them and the trust in the stillness between phrases that took more time. These words are not Hallmark platitudes. They require deep understanding, contemplation, and action from us if we believe their sentiments to be true. Surely our world would be less broken if we all lived in accordance with these verses.

Work Details

Year: 2025

Instrumentation: SATB.

Duration: 8 min.

Difficulty: Advanced

Commission note: Commissioned by Sydney Chamber Choir.. Commissioned by Sydney Chamber Choir for their 50th anniversary