CHRIS ADAMS
World War I Sanctuary
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The World War I Sanctuary is dedicated to the memory of our many fallen soldiers. New Zealand was a tiny nation of one million and lost 18,166 people. The grieving was made harder for families because nearly all those killed were buried overseas. This sanctuary allows families to remember their loved ones and ancestors.
Echoed Memories
Track 8 length 8:58
The World War I Sanctuary is a public space, but also a very personal one for the many people who have their family name inscribed on the walls. The dignity of the space, the sense of light which streams through the skylight and windows, contrasting with the sombre nature of the lists of names that surround you, all suggested to Chris Adams an orchestral piece.
In ‘Echoed Memories’ he draws on several musical pieces that would have been significant to the soldiers; ‘The Last Post’, the popular tune ‘It’s a Long Way to Tipperary’, and ‘I Runga o Nga Puke’, written by Paraire Tomoana and used to farewell the Second Maori Contingent in 1915.
At the same time he was conscious of the fact that his own life has been much distanced from the experience of war. “I wanted to write something that did not try to diminish or trivialise the experience of those who have gone through the pain of war,” he says. “I wanted to create a piece that, drawing on aural fragments of our collective past, might allow us to reflect and contemplate what the World War I Sanctuary actually means.”
About the Artist
Chris Adams is a New Zealand classical composer, with work recently performed by the Jade Quartet, Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, Christ’s College Choir, Gate Seven and Silencio. He graduated from the University of Canterbury with a MusB (Hons) in Composition and gained his MMus in Composition from the University of Auckland in 2007, studying under John Elmsly and Eve de Castro-Robinson. Adams' orchestral compositions have also been broadcast on Radio New Zealand. As a singer and violinist, Adams has worked with leading New Zealand youth ensembles, including the Christchurch Cathedral Godley Choral Scholars, the National Youth Orchestra and the New Zealand Youth Choir. Adams is currently the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra Composer in Residence and Head of Department for music at Liston College, Auckland.
Chris Adams website | The Auckland Philharmonia
Track Credits
Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Hamish McKeich
Concertmaster Dimitri Atanassov
CEO Barbara Glaser
Manager of Artistic Planning Antony Ernst
Recording Engineered by Wayne Laird
Recorded at Auckland Philharmonia Hall, April 6 2009
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