Lake Moonrise with Halcyon

Lake Moonrise is a recent work by Andrew Schultz for mezzo-soprano, clarinet, cello and vibraphone, composed in 2013 for Halcyon’s fifteenth birthday as a part of their Kingfisher project. The piece had its first performance at a special concert of new works for Halcyon in October 2013 at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney. It was performed again by Halcyon on March 29 at Sydney Conservatorium. The Kingfisher project involves a group of short new pieces by Australian composers which have now being performed in full – for more details go to www.halcyon.org.au 

Lake moonrise is a setting of a text by the composer that reflects on an experience many years ago of being awestruck by a commonplace but compellingly beautiful event in nature. In this case, a stunning moonrise over Lake Cootharaba in Queensland observed from a fire-wrecked palm valley where the burnt trees were adorned by red slashed black cockatoos with their shrieking calls. The work is in the form of a prelude and fugue.

“Banksian Cockatoo”, Port Jackson painter ca 1790, c. Natural History Museum, London.