Work
A New Zealand Aviary
for SATB choir and chamber ensemble with optional two-part treble voices
About
This short cycle of five pieces presents setting of poems about five birds familiar to New Zealanders: ruru (the morepork), the seagull, the moa, the kingfisher and the kiwi. The poems are by Marion Rego, James K. Baxter, Jon Gadsby, Eileen Duggan, and Peter Hawes. The texts are mostly lighter in tone although the first and fourth present a little more of the serious side of the daily battle for survival in the wild. At the very end of the final piece, the spotlight is turned on the audience! The music also aims to be immediately appealing and enjoyable, both to perform and to listen to. The first, third and fifth settings are for mixed-voice choir, while the second and fourth are set for treble voices. Both these pieces originated in works written for my choirs at Epsom Girls Grammar School.
The first performance featured choirs from the Waikato region conducted by the composer.
Commissioned note
Commissioned by the Waikato branch of the NZ Choral Federation for a combined choirs sing in May 2001
Contents note
- Ruru
- The Seagull
- Moa
- Song of the Kingfisher
- Kiwis
Text note
Text by Marion Rego, James K. Baxter, Jon Gadsby, Eileen Duggan, and Peter Hawes