Gallipoli Symphony

The work of New Zealand composers Gareth Farr, Richard Nunns, and Ross Harris will be premiered on 4 August as part of the Gallipoli Symphony at the historic Hagia Irene in Istanbul. This seventy minute long work – composed over the course of a decade - is a groundbreaking collaboration between eleven renowned composers from New Zealand, Australia and Turkey. The New Zealand Governor-General Lt Gen Rt Hon Sir Jerry Mateparae will be attending this commemorative event, along with Australian Governor-General His Excellency General the Honourable Sir Peter Cosgrove AK MC (Retd).

The Gallipoli Symphony was commissioned by the Australian Department of Veterans’ Affairs in 2006, with each composer being asked to produce a single movement. Each movement has been played in turn over the last decade, before being woven together to become the Gallipoli Symphony.

The Gallipoli story the Symphony is based around was structured in to chapters, each drawing out a specific theme from which the composers drew inspiration. The Gallipoli Symphony represents the first time composers from the three nations involved in the military campaign have collaborated on a commemorative project of this magnitude.

New Zealand composer Gareth Farr collaborated with Richard Nunns to create the second movement ‘He Poroporoaki (Farewell)’, with Ross Harris composing the seventh movement ‘God Pity Us Poor Soldiers’ for the Symphony. Renowned Taonga pūoro composer and musician Horomona Horo will appear as a soloist at the premiere in Istanbul.