An understated and slightly saddened version of John Ireland's hymn is stated in full for the first time at the end of the piece in the lower strings, climbing through the upper registers at last reaching the solo piccolo. As the material is developed it becomes more abstract until an angry outburst seems to settle the score giving way to a return of the more optimistic sounding sections heard earlier, this time bursting into a clear-voiced enunciation of the compassion theme. The contradictory music is jagged and spiky, coloured mainly by the upper woodwinds and tuned percussion. The section of the tune with the lyrics "love to the loveless shown" is given special importance in this central part of the piece with a short insistent motive which is then contradicted by other, more argumentative elements as though this "bleeding heart" notion is being interrogated by a shock jock. The movement begins in an understated and mostly lyrical fashion, before launching into a more dance-like, climactic section whereupon the musical argument becomes more diffuse. The movement falls somewhere in the cracks between a Chorale Prelude - which is a form found in organ works where a hymn tune is essentially embellished and considerably expanded - and a set of variations over a ground bass. Composed in a symmetrical form the hymn is used as a structural road-map and also the basis for motivic material. My own reason for using the hymn tune has more to do with its message of compassion and humanity rather than suggesting strict religious observance. Throughout this movement I have used fragments of "Love Unknown" a hymn tune by English composer John Ireland. The first movement is simply titled "Hymn". The piccolo has, of course, the great advantage of being able to cut through loud orchestral textures, yet it also has many more possibilities not often explored in the orchestral repertoire. And having heard Andrew's playing, I was convinced of the overriding artistic merits, not just the practicality of adding to a small body of works. When Andrew Macleod, Principal Piccolo for the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra suggested I write him a concerto, I immediately thought it was a great idea. There are only a few baroque examples (which were really written for recorder) and a smattering of recent works. Despite the considerable public transport advantages of the instrument, the piccolo is, unfortunately, not blessed with a fulsome concerto repertoire.
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