Composer

:

Peter Sculthorpe

Genre

:

Chamber

Style

:

Chamber Music

Compose Date

:

1993

Average_duration

:

10:16

Movement_count

:

4

Movement ....

'From Kakadu' is a composition for orchestra by Australian composer Peter Sculthorpe. It was composed in 1988 and premiered on August 27, 1988, by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra conducted by Stuart Challender. The piece is divided into four movements and has a duration of approximately 20 minutes. The first movement, titled 'Alligator River', is a slow and atmospheric piece that evokes the vastness and stillness of the Australian outback. The music is characterized by long, sustained notes in the strings and woodwinds, punctuated by occasional bursts of percussion and brass. The second movement, 'Ubirr', is named after a rock formation in Kakadu National Park. It is a lively and rhythmic piece that incorporates elements of Aboriginal music, including the use of didgeridoo-like drones in the brass and percussion. The third movement, 'Jabiru Dreaming', is a slow and dreamy piece that features a solo violin playing a haunting melody over a shimmering background of strings and percussion. The music is meant to evoke the spiritual significance of the Jabiru bird in Aboriginal culture. The final movement, 'Night-Song', is a lively and energetic piece that brings the composition to a rousing conclusion. It features driving rhythms in the percussion and brass, as well as a prominent role for the didgeridoo. Overall, 'From Kakadu' is a powerful and evocative work that showcases Sculthorpe's unique blend of Western classical music and Aboriginal musical traditions. It has become one of his most popular and frequently performed compositions, both in Australia and around the world.

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