Land of the Kauri: A Northland Sketch
by Anthony Ritchie, for bassoon and piano, Opus 234
Land of the Kauri: A Northland Sketch was commissioned by Liam Naden for his daughter, bassoonist Charlotte Naden, to perform.
Liam and Charlotte are New Zealanders but living overseas, and this piece is based on memories of Northland where Liam originally lived. To quote Liam: “For me, Northland has always been the heart of New Zealand. I’ve spent much of my adult life there, and the kauri forests around Tāne Mahuta and the eastern coastline - with its islands and pōhutukawa-lined beaches - have always felt deeply special to me. There’s something about the mix of stillness and vitality there that I’d love to hear come through in music.”
The music attempts to evoke some of these ideas in sound, with a sense of breadth and distance in some passages.
The slow opening section is like a still, hot, sunny morning, with insects flickering. It opens out into soulful song-like phrases on bassoon, accompanied by broad gestures on the piano informed by the kauri forests. The patterns repeats with variation, leading to a fast section where human life begins to stir and the busyness of the day takes over.
A slightly murky idea on piano (bar 60) is like clouds of the horizon, and contrasts with a sunnier, lyrical theme on bassoon (bar 72).
Following a climax the music dies down again as evening returns; the bassoon sings a haunting refrain over a repeated bass and the stillness of the opening returns.
This piece is also available in a version for bassoon and organ (opus 234b).
Duration: 7’40 approximately
Dedicated to Liam and Charlotte