the ocean’s dream of itself

Five Western Australian authors contributed their words to this song cycle: Miriam Wei Wei Lo, Sonya Frossine, Shane McCauley, Rachael Petridis and Veronika Lake. These poems share a central theme: the deep connection between nature and the self, exploring how natural elements - the sky, the ocean, rain, rivers, storms - reflect and influence emotional and spiritual transformation.

This piece unfolds as a slow, mysterious journey, rich in shimmering orchestral textures that create an atmosphere both haunting and enveloping. It was my goal to evoke a dreamlike warmth, for the listening experience to feel like sinking into a vast and luminous soundscape. As a composer I am drawn to mirrors, reflections and symmetry. I chose a five-movement structure to create a palindromic formal architecture: the first and last movements are thematically linked, the second and fourth are shorter and faster, and the central movement forms a gentle, yielding core.

At the heart of this piece is the mezzo-soprano, emerging organically from within the orchestra, her voice interwoven with its ever-shifting textures. Her relationship with the orchestra echoes the poetry’s central theme: the self in dialogue with nature. Her melody weaves through this vast space, sometimes embraced and sometimes overwhelmed, drawn into the ebb and flow of forces greater than herself.

Instrumentation
mezzo soprano, orchestra
2[Picc.]2[C.A]2[B.Cl]2[Cbsn] - 4331 - T+3 Perc. - Hp. - Cel. - M.S. - Strings

Year of Composition
2025

Duration
28 minutes

Commissioned by
Grand Teton Music Festival and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra

Premiere
Sasha Cooke, Donald Runnicles, Grand Teton Festival Orchestra, Walk Festival Hall (Jackson, WY), 8-9 August 2025

Score
Coming soon.