Australian Music Centre | Breaking sound barriers

Work Overview

Like wandering through a new place guided by instinct, this concerto unfolds as a series of departures, each opening in its own direction. The natural world provides the framework, and the solo harp leads us through shifting musical landscapes.

In Monoliths, driving, fanfare-like orchestral waves evoke towering granite. The harp breaks through this wall of sound, its brilliant tone gradually emerging into focus.

Silken Stream begins tranquilly, then turns dance-like. Fluid lines and sparkling textures gather momentum, tracing water finding its course.

The third movement, the clouds give rest, takes its title from a Bashō haiku about the moon's brightness veiled by passing clouds. An unbroken ostinato runs throughout as the harp hovers in a suspended, whispery space. Nothing rushes; everything drifts.

In Chasing the Light, we catch the last moments of daylight. Spirited, playful and at times frantic, it brims with lively melodies, repeated rhythms and sparkling harp interludes. The concerto closes in forward drive and exhilaration, propelled by the instinct to follow light wherever it leads.

Work Details

Year: 2025

Instrumentation: Harp (amplified), orchestra

Duration: 30 min.

Difficulty: Advanced

Contents note: I. Monoliths · II. Silken Stream · III. the clouds give rest · IV. Chasing the Light

Dedication note: Dedicated to Emily Granger

Commission note: This project was made possible through the generous support of John and Irene Garran and the Australian Government through Creative Australia

First performance: by Emily Granger, Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Umberto Clerici — 14 Feb 26. Queensland Conservatorium Theatre, Griffith University