This short work is an extension of the second voyage in The Great South Land which is a concert-length cantata for a small orchestra of strings, brass and percussion, a chorus, and four soloists, conducted for the Canberra Festival by Roland Peelman on May 11, 2013. The texts, themes and musical material of The Great South Land are mostly taken from Sculthorpe’s 1982 television opera Quiros. While in many ways a striking work, Sculthorpe was never fully satisfied with the structure of his 1982 operatic telling of the Quiros narrative. The story has continued to haunt him, prompting unsuccessful attempts at various times over the thirty years since to rework the TV opera for the stage.
This 3½ minute work is a new addition to the piece.