Acanthis: a winged canticle

About

Acanthis: a winged canticle, is a set of five pieces for orchestra with each drawing inspiration from a different native bird that can be found around the Auckland region. I have also linked each piece to one of the parts of the traditional latin mass. I did this to create a sense of unity between the five pieces, as each of the birds is distinct and unique, but also because each of the birds is threatened and facing many challenges for their survival. Some of these challenges (actually to be frank, virtually all of these challenges) are due to us: the impact of climate change that often has quite unexpected consequences, the encroaching urban and agricultural development and destruction of natural habitats, the impact of introduced animals (both pets and wild), as well as other factors.

Each of the birds; the Hihi, the North Island Kaka, the Kokako, the Fairy Tern or Tara Iti and the North Island Brown Kiwi are beautiful birds with distinct character, sound, and environment, and I have aimed to capture this using the full orchestra.