It was late 2015. In that year, soprano Anna Fraser and the Acacia Quartet had premiered my song cycle The Man In The Other Room and soprano Ayse Goknur Shanal with Patrick Keith had premiered another song cycle, These Men. “You have written music for our children and for many others, but you’ve never written anything for me,” said my bride of (then) 36 years. Point taken.

Reflecting on my sin of omission, I had a ‘light-bulb’ moment and thought about creating a concert which would see two composers performing each other’s works – I would dedicate my composition to my aforesaid bride. I put this idea to Michael Lampard, noted Melbourne baritone and composer. We agreed to give it a shot with likely performances in Newcastle, Sydney and Melbourne.

In looking for texts that expressed something of the love and admiration I have for my bride, I found some beautiful poems by the late Australian poet, John Shaw Neilson. These express emotions which are romantic, whimsical, allegorical, contemplative and more, providing marvellous inspiration. Rejecting the idea of another narrative song cycle, I decided each song would tell its own story, naming the grouping Love...