Australian Music Centre | Breaking sound barriers

Work Overview

The Japanese song 'Lullaby in Edo', which forms the brief second movement of my second trio, was the first piece to be written and provided the idea for the whole work. I had just visited a young friend in Melbourne, after the birth of her son, and was taken with the thought of writing a lullaby for them. It occurred to me that it might be a song with an accompaniment for one hand only, as she was so occupied already with baby, which is why the trio version similarly requires the pianist to play only with left hand. From this small beginning, I kept collecting folk tunes from around the world and did not stop until I had circumnavigated the globe in music, as it were. It is a simple work, celebrating the joy and mystery of simple melodies of different peoples, fashioned over time by communal singing and story telling, and expressing much that we all share of the pain and happiness of being human.

Work Details

Year: 2013

Instrumentation: Violin, cello, piano.

Duration: 31 min.

Difficulty: Advanced

Contents note: 1. Nina Bobok -- 2. Lullaby in Edo -- 3. Kun mun kultani tulisi -- 4. The Skye Boat Song -- 5. Iesus Ahatonnia -- 6. Thula Mama -- 7. Maranoa Lullaby.

Commission note: Commissioned by and dedicated to Jo and John Strutt, in celebration of their 60th wedding anniversary, with warm wishes and thanks from the composer.

First performance: by Ian Munro, Dimity Hall, Julian Smiles at Piano Trio from Australia Ensemble @ NSW (The Independent Theatre) on 20 May 2014