Availability
Score and parts for hire
Score 0-571-51913-X on sale
Programme Notes
Canzona was commissioned by the Australian Chamber Orchestra with financial assistance from the Music Board of the Australia Council. The term 'Canzona' is used here in its broadest possible sense as a 'song for instruments'. As the simplest of starting-points then, the chamber orchestra is viewed as a collection of 'singing' instruments presented either in melody or in complex counterpoint. Although cast in a single movement the work falls into two principal sections. The first evolves from a simple melodic mowement into a slow waltz-like figure. The second is based on a straightforward chord progression that undergoes a series of convolutions leading to the 'presto' finale. In 1986, choreographer Jacqui Carroll wanted to use Canzona in a new dance work for the Australian Ballet Company. We both felt that it was too short for a one act ballet, and I wrote Prologue as a 'curtain-raiser'. The published work now includes both Prologue and Canzona, though the inclusion of Prologue is at the discretion of the performers.
Carl Vine