Performed as part of the final concert of the 2023 FAME festival at on 14/01/2023. FAME (Federation of Australasian Mandolin Ensembles) festivals are held in the major cities of Australia and New Zealand and attract players of diverse standards from mandolin orchestras across the region. These involve a week of intensive rehearsing to prepare and present a public concert.
This larger work for mandolin orchestra was written in 2013 for the Takarazuka Mandolin Orchestra. The composer Robert Schulz was invited to conduct this work in Takarazuka in 2015, the first non-Japanese conductor to work with this orchestra. Being a larger orchestra than we are used to here in Australia, there was scope for a larger sound base, hence the inclusion of timpani, flute and percussion. The work is in seven sections with short linking themes, in effect a type of theme and variation. The harmonic basis is maintained throughout, with varying rhythms and textural nuances.
Camera operator: Clancy McVay
Audio recording and video production: Oliver Rathje
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