This year I was commissioned to write some lyrics in Noongar and English for a new orchestral and choir piece by Paul Stanhope for the West Australian Symphony Orchestra (WASO). The suite is called Mahasagar, a Hindi word for ocean, and is inspired by the coasts along the Indian Ocean where the sun sets over the sea. I was delighted to go to the premiere on August 31st at Winthrop Hall in Perth. The evening programme was called La Mer, and on the night Mahasagar was featured alongside three famous classical pieces about the ocean including Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman (1843), Ravel’s Une barque sur l’océan (1906), and Debussy’s La Mer (1905).

Mahasagar is a song cycle in five parts, and my two sets of lyrics, ‘Nara Koort’ and ‘High Tide For Healing’, are in Parts One and Five. Part Two, ‘The Lifesaver’, is an attempted rescue of a drowning swimmer. Part Three, ‘Silentio ad mare’, is about a refugee ship struggling in the deep ocean. Part 4, ‘The Osprey’, is a kind of musical conversation between a birdwatcher, performed by a soprano soloist, and an osprey, performed by the orchestra. 

Here is an interview with me speaking about the poem-writing process: Sharing culture through song

And here is a review of the show: Siren Calls: West Australian SO sets sail with a new work and old sea dogs

You can view the La Mer programme with my lyrics here: Concert programme with lyrics

 

About sharing the Noongar language in the arts

The Noongar language was subject to oppressive colonial policies during the 20th Century and it is through the tenacity of the Noongar community that it survived at all. For an orchestra to perform in Noongar and form the powerful sounds of the language of Country is a direct result of the hard work of Elders and community members who have revitalised the language when it wasn’t popular, and in the context of the great trauma of having culture taken away. 

I’m pleased that WASO understood this, that the speaking of the Noongar language by arts institutions is not neutral, and agreed to a cultural sharing class. Noongar language teacher Jayden Boundary joined me and led a yarn with the choir about the history of the Noongar language, and then a lesson on the pronunciation. We wanted the choir to be able to say that they learned the Noongar words from Noongar people, and WASO supported us in doing that. 

Thanks for having me WASO!