Availability

Score 0-571-56585-9 (fp) on sale, parts for hire

Programme Notes

Peter Sculthorpe Earth Cry for orchestra (abridged version, 1999) I composed Earth Cry in 1986. At the time, I wrote that Australia lacks “a common cause, and the self-interest of many has drained us of much of our energy. A bogus national identity and its commercialization has obscured the true breadth of our culture …We need to attune ourselves to this continent, to listen to the cry of the earth, as the Aborigines have done for many thousands of years.” In making this abridged version of Earth Cry, I omitted the sections of the work in which my doubts are expressed. The new version, then, is in two linked sections. The first is ritualistic, its melody and accompaniment suggesting aboriginal chant and the landscape itself. The second, in its broad melodiousness, brings the material of the first section to its consummation. In doing this, I affirm my belief in the possibility of future harmony on earth. Peter Sculthorpe

Earth Cry (abridged version)

Concert Hall, Hong Kong City Hall (Hong Kong, China)

Hong Kong Sinfonietta/William Barton/Luke Dollman

Earth Cry (abridged version)

The Potato Shed (Geelong, Australia)

chor. Gareth Belling

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Earth Cry (abridged version)

Adelaide Town Hall (Adelaide, SA, Australia)

Luke Dollman/Adelaide Symphony Orchestra

Earth Cry (abridged version)

Afternoon on 3

BBC Radio 3 (United Kingdom)

BBC National Orchestra of Wales/Brad Cohen

Earth Cry (abridged version)

St John's Cathedral (Valletta, Malta)

Malta Philharmonic Orchestra/Brian Schembri