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Gillian Whitehead  

Awa Herea (Braided Rivers)

Duration: 22' 00" Year: 1993
a song cycle for soprano and piano

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Christopher Blake  

Bitter Calm

Duration: 1h 30' 00" Year: 1993
opera in two acts for soloists, chorus and orchestra

  • Instrumentation
    2sop,1ten,2bari,SATB chorus and orchestra: (2)22(2)2(2); 2220; 2perc,timp,2keyb; strs.
  • Programme Note

    Bitter Calm is a full length opera for five principals, chorus and orchestra in two acts. It is based on an incident at Motuarohia Island in the Bay of Islands, New Zealand in the 1840s. It is a drama of human passions in the contexts of land alienation and tensions between Maori and new settlers. Premiered at the New Zealand International Festival for the Arts in 1994 and filmed for television.

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Jenny McLeod  

He Iwi Kotahi Tatou (We are one people)

Duration: 25' 00" Year: 1993
for Maori choir, chamber choir and mixed choir with keyboards

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Gareth Farr  

Orakau

Duration: 13' 00" Year: 1999
for bass voice and orchestra

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Gillian Whitehead  

Outrageous Fortune

Duration: 1h 58' 00" Year: 1998
a chamber opera in two acts

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Helen Fisher  

Papatuanuku

Duration: 05' 00" Year: 1992
vocalise for unaccompanied choir

Score Sample
  • Instrumentation
    1.TB; 2. and 3. SATB
  • Programme Note

    These three vocalises, using Maori vowel sounds, were first recorded by the Wellington members of the National Youth Choir. They were composed for the opening section of ‘Wahine Toa’, a dance theatre celebration of Maori female ancestral figures. This work was performed at Taki Rua Theatre in Wellington in 1992 and in Christchurch in 1993. The three pieces are: 1. Te Po Nui, Te Po Roa, where male voices hum a series of sustained chords. 2. The Earth Lay in the Womb of Darkness – inspired by Robin Kahukiwa’s painting of the same title. This choral vocalise by full choir begins with alto melodic line, soon building to a widely spaced texture of superimposed fifth chords. 3. Papatuanuku – the Separation of Ranginui and Papatuanuku. The vocalise begins gently, becoming increasingly contrapuntal, building to five strong chords, and ending with a sighing texture of vocal glissandi. Wahine Toa was choreographed by Keri Kaa, Jan Bolwell and Sunny Amey, and was commissioned with assistance from the Queen Elizabeth 11 Arts Council of New Zealand.

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Dorothy Buchanan  

Reo Karanga

Duration: 02' 00" Year: 1995
for mezzo-soprano

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Christopher Marshall  

Tangi

Duration: 12' 00" Year: 1999
for SATB choir with mezzo soloist

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  • Programme Note

    Te Heuheu Herea, a high chief of Ngati Tuwharetoa in the Taupo district, died in 1820 and was mourned by his son in this song of lament (waiata tangi). The text was collected by Sir Apirana Ngata in his book ‘Nga Moteatea’ of 1959. It is written in a dialect differing in several aspects from present day Maori. There is no record of the original chant; however this setting utilises some of the devices and conventions from that tradition.

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Dorothy Buchanan  

The Call of the River

Duration: 30' 00" Year: 1990
for mezzo soprano, tenor and baritone soloists, SATB choir, narrators and ensemble

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Rod Biss  

Waiata Aroha

Duration: 45' 00" Year: 1998, r. 2010
a song cycle for three singers of eight songs by Witi Ihimaera with string orchestra with harp and saxophone

  • Programme Note

    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

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