Anthochaera carunculata
|
Violin
|
|
The rhythmic song of the red wattlebird
Program Notes
When Simone Slattery approached me about composing something for her Where Song Began project, I had (fortuitously) just finished reading the book of the same name by Tim Low, which had inspired her. I was so excited about the commission that I quickly wrote, not one, but three standalone violin solos (see also Colluricincla harmonica and Currawong at Black Hill). It was the first of the three, Anthochaera carunculata, which Simone chose to include in Where Song Began.
For this piece, instead of choosing one of the more mellifluous songbirds of Australia, I chose to write a piece inspired by the harsh, guttural calls of the red wattlebird. I had long been interested in the rhythmic patterns produced by this bird, which I'd overheard in many an early morning walk around Adelaide. © David John Lang 2022 Performance Notes
This piece is aleatoric, with a flexible number of repeats and rhythmic values for each bar. It is rather more open to interpretation than most of my other works.
|
Duration: 8 minutes
Difficulty: Advanced |