Work
Glimmer of Blue
for vibraphone and string orchestra
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About
Written at Te Henga on the west coast of Auckland, this is a reflective piece which contemplates light, distance, long horizons, happiness, emptiness, yearning: images of a far off glimmering sea or sky. The images are not intended to be programmatic but to evoke various inner states of being. I also like the word glimmer as it combines the words glimpse and shimmer, and the word blue which can be melancholic or "sunny" (as in sky blue).
Glimmer of Blue was written in 2005 for my players in the Waitakere City Orchestra, and vibraphone soloist Hazel Leader, and premiered that year; it was performed again in 2006 for the opening of the Waitakere City Council chambers - by special request from former mayor Sir Bob Harvey, and for a 3rd time in 2011 in the Glen Eden Playhouse Theatre in West Auckland. All performances were conducted by the composer (MD of the WCO). Glimmer of Blue is dedicated to a close friend, Tyl von Randow, who has generously enabled many happy hours of composing at his residence at Te Henga.
Commissioned note
Written for Waitakere City Orchestra and vibraphone soloist Hazel Leader
Dedication note
Dedicated to Tyl von Randow
Performance history
22 Jul 2023: DSO | Celebrating Matariki - Whakanuia Matariki
23 Jul 2023: DSO | Celebrating Matariki - Whakanuia Matariki