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The title of this symphony comes from the ominous tam tam stroke that opens the first movement, a mysterious sound heard by two of E M Forster’s characters in A Passage to India when they investigate the Marabar Caves. This is a sound which symbolises the mysteries of life and death, although Ritchie warns us not to take it all too literally. “The echo is only a starting point to a general theme of human struggle. The listener can interpret the music in his or her own way.”

The first movement opens sonorously in the tonality of G, pulsating chords leading us inevitably to the first main theme, a theme that Ritchie himself characterises as a “muscular, Brucknerian theme”, although the momentum that it engages owes more to Shostakovich. A sinuous saxophone theme is very significant in the central section, as is the lengthy oboe theme in the moderato section. The second movement opens with the sharp, bright sounds of oboes and clarinets accompanied by Cook Islands log drums. The log drum punctuates the movement’s textures and creates a sense of propulsion. A light-hearted dance introduced by string quartet offers an opportunity for a change of mood. The third movement is a lament for the victims of the Bosnian wars.

The highly evocative scoring of the opening pages was inpsired by the wailing of a Maori karanga, while tolling bells imbue this elegy with a special sense of tragedy. The symphony ends with a ‘grand dance’ which shows Ritchie has not been untouched by rock music. Several themes are brought together in an ecstatic coda, after which the music slowly unwinds over a reiterated pedal note. The opening of the first movement returns, and the final sound we hear is a single stroke on the tam tam.

Symphony No.1 ‘Boum’ was completed while Ritchie was Composer-in-residence with the Dunedin Sinfonia in 1993, and first performed the following year, under the baton of Sir William Southgate. It has received numerous performances, and was recorded for radio by the NZSO, in 1998, Auckland Philharmonia in 1996, Dunedin Sinfonia in 1994.

• Ritchie A: Symphony No. 1 - 'Boum'; facsimile 

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• Ritchie A.: Symphony - Boum; facsimile 

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• Anthony Ritchie: Symphony "Boum" 

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• Anthony Ritchie: Symphonies 1 and 2  Year: 2007 

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When Witi Ihimaera approached me with his cycle of poems he gave them to me with a very detailed description of how he wanted them set, even to suggesting that there should be instrumental ‘variations’ between each song.

Waiata Aroha, he wrote, “is a group of ‘last songs’ sung by a young man facing death (tenor), his lover (baritone) and the dying man’s elder sister (mezzo-soprano). The song cycle itself comprises three solos, two duets and one trio.”

When he showed me the poems I was most impressed with them and thought that they would undoubtedly work well as a song cycle. We agreed that the overall of the cycle should not be too dark, quoting again from Witi’s note; “Like at a tangihanga the ultimate mood should be one of transformation, coming to terms with the cycle of life and death.”

His idea of ‘variations’ between the songs has not entirely disappeared, but instead of writing separate instrumental movements I have allowed the music to develop into dance-like sections, and where Witi has provided particularly visual images I have tried to match them in the music.

The first draft of the song cycle was completed as long ago as 1998, revisions took me up to 2005, and since then I have put it onto the Sibelius computer programme making a few further changes at the same time. Witi has said that he might like to make a few changes to the words before any performances takes place – but largely speaking I think the cycle is complete. A piano reduction is available.

Rod Biss
26 July 2010

• Biss: Waiata Aroha; computer-set 

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• Biss: Waiata Aroha; computer-set 

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