Australian Music Centre | Breaking sound barriers

Work Overview

Upon first encountering this piece, it may appear disjointed. It swiftly traverses between textures, ideas, and emotional focal points in the blink of an eye. This technique aims to evoke a blurred stroll through a garden. A nostalgic, melancholic garden of my childhood.

The concept of a wild garden has lingered in my thoughts since childhood, making it the perfect inspiration for my inaugural composition venture into a substantial orchestral work for the concert hall.

During my upbringing, the garden was a realm of wonder, adventure, and mystery. I was fortunate to grow up in a garden with a diverse array of plants, with towering trees to climb and distinct areas to the garden that seemed to transport me to different worlds. Yet, after a long day of play, gazing from my bedroom window into the garden in the evening evoked a profound sense of melancholy-a yearning for a space where I could inhabit any role and embark on countless adventures.

This symphonic composition serves as a narrative journey through these evocative images, from the hyper-reality of Alice as she accompanies me on a childhood garden escapade, to the vivid depiction of the lush, untamed garden reminiscent of Sebastian's from Tennessee Williams' play Suddenly Last Summer. I was exposed to the film adaptation at a tender age, and the lingering shot of the garden's intensity has remained with me ever since.

Additionally, nestled within this piece is a brief excerpt from my song cycle Ballad of the Crying Satyr-a youthful hymn for adventure, travel, and liberation from the constraints of adolescence. Moreover, a fleeting central movement Interlude, mimics the calls of various orchestral sections, akin to the chirping of birds in dialogue.

Work Details

Year: 2009

Duration: 30 min.

Difficulty: Medium