Listen & tracks

1 of 28 tracks have a preview · 2 works · 50:26

There is an IslandDon Kay 9 movements36:20
1. 1 The Island 3:49
2. 2 Song of the Aborigines 5:44
3. 3 The coming of the great swans 4:01
4. 4 West Country seaman 2:08
5. 5 Free settlers 5:38
6. 6 Convicts 2:11
7. 7 Hobart Town / The black war 3:58
8. 8 Lament of the Aborigines 4:32
9. 9 The land we share 4:19
The Song of the MaypoleGeorge Dreyfus 5 movements14:06
1. 10 Overture 2:48
2. 11 We're off to dig golden dust 1:10
3. 12 Children and mothers song 3:09
4. 13 From the mulga thicket 2:02
5. 14 Maypole dance 4:57

Don Kay’s cantata for children’s choir and orchestra, commissioned by the Australian Rosny Children’s Choir and completed in 1977, traces settlement, convict life and the Black War across nine movements.

George Dreyfus’s companion work is set in the gold-rush years. Four children’s choruses are paired with the orchestral families so young singers meet woodwind, strings, brass and percussion through a linked story and a final maypole dance.

Artists

Don Kay

composer

Don Kay (born 1933) is a Tasmanian classical composer whose work ranges from symphony, opera and concerto to chamber, choral, vocal and piano music, often shaped by the island’s landscape, ecology and history.

Australian Rosny Children's Choir

choir

The Australian Rosny Children's Choir started in 1967 by music teacher Jennifer Filby, has toured extensively within Australia, performing in all the major concert venues, and appearing with the Sydney, Melbourne, South Australian and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestras.

George Dreyfus

conductor

One of Australia's best-known composers, especially for the theme from the television series Rush, George Dreyfus was awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany at Victorian Parliament House for services to music.

Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra

orchestra

The Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra has an enviable reputation as one of the world's great small orchestras. With a full-time strength of 47 players, which can be augmented when the programme demands, it is known for classical polish and a lively commitment to new work.