Work

Programme Note

The rather elegiac mood of the poem is reflected in this setting for voice, violin and piano. The opening violin motif recurs later in the song as an ostinato, heard first in the piano, then the violin, reflecting the poem’s sentiment -

“I do not remember these things, they remember me
Not as child or woman
But as the last excuse to stay
Not wholly to die”.

Text Note:

The Place by Janet Frame

Commissioned:

Composed for Look up at the Stars, a celebration of the writing of Janet Frame held at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery in July 2005, and performed there by local performance group Panache.

Difficulty:

Advanced

Performance History

	26 Jul 2005	Performed by Panache with Anna Good (voice), Sandra Crawshaw (violin) and Joyce Whitehead (piano) at Dunedin Public Art Gallery