JUNE 2004

Diary Entry, 28 June

I am starting these diary entries at a later stage than other participants in the symposium, using a pre-existing work, but I will give some details from over the last seven months which cover the completion to first performance of my work, The Farewell.

Having been appointed the joint Composer-in-Residence for the Auckland Philharmonia, I was given a brief which included a major composition for orchestra for the AP's major concert series. The guidelines were fairly basic: between eight and ten minutes in length; use of the standard orchestra (3*3*3*3*; 4331; Timp 3Perc Hrp Pno Strings); a piece appropriate for the premier concert series. As far as subject matter (if there was to be any), that was up to me. I decided to use the whole orchestra (not having yet used piano in an orchestral piece) and to base the piece on the theme of "farewell".

I had been musing on the idea of saying farewell, not to specifically to people, but to ways of life, cultures and things we get used to seeing every day, but sadly don't last forever.

However, as I was starting the piece, a close friend whom I'd known for many years died suddenly. With the idea of 'farewell' already developing, it was natural for this sad event to become part of the music. I didn't want the piece to be a requiem or elegy: Clinton was a vivacious and audacious person, and something in the sombre nature of those forms seemed inappropriate. The piece needed energy to do him and the original ideas justice. Essentially, the piece is not about my friend, or the other things we lose in life, but about how we feel the loss of them, and the difficulty in letting go of those people and things we love.

Stylistically, the piece remained much the same throughout the idea phase: a generally minimalist style piece, but with an extended harmonic palette and inclusion of melodies that exist free from the repetitive processes involved.

The first draft was due in February for a read through in March. Having not had a creative break between the completion of my Masters folio and the composition of The Farewell, I was worried about the result of the readings. There had been many starts which had gone nowhere, and throughout the composition, I had been constantly concerned about the quality of the work. To my relief and joy, the read-through was successful and I had written a piece that was better than I had expected - which is always a great feeling.

I delivered the final copy of the score at the end of April, revised and with an ending (the draft just stopped approximately two minutes from the end.) Rehearsals began in the week leading up to the performances on the 24th and 25th June. Rehearsals went well, with the conductor, Miguel Harth-Bedoya, making many helpful suggestions and taking an 'ownership' of the piece, which is very encouraging. (Sometimes musicians have a tendency to stand back from making too many interpretive decisions with a new work when the composer is there,
leaving them to the composer. It's great when they put there personality into it too.)

The both concerts went extremely well, and the concert was programmed with two guitar concerti, Vivaldi's Concerto in D and Rodrigo's Concerto de Aranjuez, and Beethoven's Symphony No. 5. Naturally those piece in the concert attracted full houses, which is a great benefit to me.

Now having had a performance, I will now commence the reorchestration
of the work for the Tasmanian Symphony.