Work
Eternal Music or How Do Pākehā Prepare for Death
for mixed ensemble
About
This composition derives from my thinking on the impending death of my brother from a rare and aggressive form of melanoma. As a Pākehā from an atheistic family, I realised very quickly after his diagnosis that my family had no structure or ritual to fall back on to cope with or understand his passing. Pākehā, upon coming to Aotearoa, have left much behind in Europe, some good, some bad, some necessary for understanding the rhythms of life and death. This music is not intended as a replacement or stand-in for the rituals we have left behind, but is a meditation on their absence. In their absence, it attempts to ask: are there other rhythms we can attend to?
Contents note
The score can be obtained by contacting the composer.