The Big Below

Australian Suite for Recorder Orchestra

Score and nine parts
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1. Uluru
2. Crazy Kookaburra
3. Ritual

I have loved Australia ever since I visited in 2020 to premiere my pieces UKUVALELISA and CÁDIZ, which were performed by my friend, António Carrilho, and myself. So, I was delighted when Zana Clarke commissioned me to compose a piece for the 2026 Australasian Recorder Festival in Armidale. The result is my first Australian Suite, The Big Below!
The first movement, ‘Uluru’, captures the feeling of the early morning when the first light becomes visible and Uluru (formerly known as Ayers Rock), the holy mountain, is hit by the first sunrays and begins to shine in its intense colour. It is a magical and majestic moment. I have tried to describe the feeling of immense beauty, meditation, self-reflection and connection to history, time, the world, the earth and yourself through music. You realise that you are part of the universe. It's powerful yet simple. It's a piece full of long melodies and 'layers' of harmonies. I tried to paint the Uluru musically.
The second movement, 'Kookaburra', deals with the 'crazy laughing' and singing of Australia's most famous bird (and ambassador). It is a true scherzo that requires a playful and virtuoso soprano to capture the essence of the kookaburra. As is typical of my compositions, I use a lot of irregular metres and metre changes to make the piece more vivid, vibrant and surprising.
The third movement, 'RITUAL', imagines an ancient performance of music, dance and drums that slowly intensifies in tension, excitement and power with relentless dynamics. The original population of Australia were hunter-gatherers and therefore had much less 'work' to do than later 'farm societies', leaving them with much more time for ceremonies, dance, play, music, storytelling and rituals. It was a life that was dangerous, harsh and demanding, but also wild, independent and free. In this final piece, I attempt to capture the essence of such an ancient ritual of dance, music, and drums. Adding percussion/drums would certainly be a good idea, provided it doesn't drown out the recorders!
My sincerest thanks go to the Armidale Festival tutors who premiered the piece on 10 January 2026: Chris Orton, Susanne Fröhlich, Joanne Arnott, Kamal Bain, Alana Blackburn, Brendan O’Donnell, Robyn Mellor and Rodney Waterman. Thanks also to Anna Stegmann, who rehearsed and conducted the piece!

Here you see the second movement, Crazy Kookaburra!
https://youtu.be/jGMUHTNfpaA?si=GqWsI19t7S_yLCbh