PROGRAMME NOTE

This piece came about through an early morning walk along the Brisbane River in New Farm Park. The winter air was frosty, and the sun reflected off of the river in an array of sparkling fractures of light. The birds were melodic and you could hear the waves lapping at the rocks on the river bank. This poem came to me in the moment, and the music followed naturally.

This is the reason

This is the reason,
this is the meaning
to sit here, idle, and watch. Listen to the birds,
to the waves hitting the rocks. Listen, and be still.

There is so much distress in this world and you can, so easily, access it all, or – for a moment at least –
you can sit, sweating in the sun, and listen, listen, listen.