CD Release: Star Chant

Star Chant has been released by ABC Classics.

Ross Edwards CDs are available from buywell.com

The long awaited CD of Ross Edwards’ epic 4th Symphony ‘Star Chant’ is now available in combination with a beautiful new version of his 1st Symphony ‘Da Pacem Domine’. (Scores of both these works are available through the Australian Music Centre).

‘Star Chant’, premiered to great acclaim at the 2002 Adelaide Festival, was composed in collaboration with astronomer Fred Watson, who provided the text, and deep space photographer David Malin, whose images accompanied the first performance. Fred Watson writes:

This musical fusion of art and science represents a journey through Australia’s night skies. It celebrates the stars in western and aboriginal culture with names taken from both ancient European legend and the Dreamtime stories of many different indigenous peoples…

‘Two majestic pieces by Australian composer Ross Edwards are presented on this new album. Da pacem Domine is a prayer for peace, grounded in human ritual, whereas Star Chant reflects the eternal grandeur of the night sky and includes a chorus singing the names of the celestial features in various Aboriginal languages. Performed by the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra with the Adelaide Chamber Singers and the Adelaide Philharmonia Chorus conducted by Richard Mills, both pieces will leave you contemplating the nature of our existence.’