Ross Edwards introduces his new double concerto for saxophonist Amy Dickson and percussionist Colin Currie.

Work Frog and Star Cycle
Composer Ross Edwards
Scored for Saxophone, percussion and symphony orchestra
Commissioned by Sydney Symphony Orchestra
Premiere July 7, 2016
Performers Amy Dickson, Colin Currie, SSO/Lothar Koenigs

My essential point of reference in a lifetime of making music has been the natural environment, whose myriad voices, shapes, patterns and drones have influenced everything I’ve composed and provided a ground for the inclusion of diverse cultural material relating to the earth. During this time, the study of ‘ecomusicology’ was born and has grown into a movement that aims to help us redefine our relationship with the environment. The need to restore music’s traditional function as an agent of healing and sustainability has preoccupied me for many years as the ravages of climate change and environmental degradation continue.

Frog and Star Cycle, like my Full Moon Dances and Bird Spirit Dreaming, fulfils the requirements of a concerto – in this case a double concerto – to display the soloist’s virtuosity, but it also has elements of ritual and pantomime. The soloists are assigned specific roles: one is a shaman, a magic activator...