Sally Greenaway | Composer

Opening with a soundscape reminiscent of the dawn bursting into colour over a still lake, the piece unfolds into an uplifting and hopeful fanfare before fading back into a wash of colours for the final bars.

Not a traditional fanfare, the piece evokes images of Canberra, Australia located between Sydney to the North and Melbourne to the South. The opening bowed metallic percussion give a sense of that first ray of light coming from the horizon over Lake Burley Griffin and the towering National Carillon. With an ascending fifth, from G to D, the French Horn summons the sun to rise further, stirring the Australian wildlife. In its entirety, the opening is a vivid crescendo leading to a remarkably clear and rich blue sky as Solo Trumpet gives the first statement of the fanfare, with a dance-like harmonic underpinning from the woodwinds.

Program notes written by Eric Posner