Composer: Ritchie, Anthony, 1960-
Country of origin: New Zealand
Title: Purakaunui at Dawn, Op. 177
Other titles:
Movements:
Year(s) composed: 2014
Publisher: Unpublished
Duration (in minutes): 5
Clarinet type: A
Note: See comment below
Purakaunui at Dawn was composed for The Dalecarlia Quintet, based in Sweden, for their 2014 tour of New Zealand.It was recorded on the CD Fjarran: In the Distance, Atoll Records ACD316, by the Dalecarlia Quintet. This CD won the Best Classical Music CD at the 2016 New Zealand Music Awards.
The piece is a simple evocation of early dawn at the seaside village of Purakaunui, near Dunedin in New Zealand. In amongst a soft dawn chorus a bellbird motif rings out clearly, and is echoed around the bay. Following a silence, the bird motif is inverted, and the music becomes introspective in character, with long, singing lines on both violin and clarinet. The birdcall returns in the coda.
(Source; Anthony Ritchie)