Te Rerenga This piece is subtitled Journey To The Afterlife. I began writing it in 1998. The inspiration was my first visit to the northernmost part of New Zealand, Cape Reinga. As I stood overlooking the cliff called Te Rerenga Wairua - literally, 'the spirits' leap' I had what I can only describe as a spiritual experience. Te Rerenga has never been performed. In 2003 it received an unrehearsed reading by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. Of course being a reading, there are wrong notes and imbalances - for one, the oboe solo near the beginning is too loud. And some of the percussion instruments called for were not available. Nevertheless most of those attending that session seemed quite moved by the piece. Since that time I have made several small but significant 'fine-tunings' of the score. I believe Te Rerenga is one of my strongest pieces. It is a free chaconne on a Victorian chorale against which are set melodic strands influenced by the Maori chant of farewell, the waiata tangi. The score ends with a passage derived from the call of the bellbird. While this music constantly pits tonal against atonal material the dominant impression is overwhelmingly tonal. Nevertheless the chorale melody and all the other melodic material is derived from just one source: a twelve note series. This in turn is derived from the notes of the birdsong. Christopher Marshall |
 Recordings:
Duration: ±12" Difficulty: Grade 6 Publisher: Vaia'ata Print (self-published) |
