Ross Edwards completed his Guitar Concerto in 1995 following a visit to the tropical north of Australia as guest of the Darwin International Guitar Festival and its Director, Adrian Walter. One of the aims of this festival, which regularly attracted some of the world’s finest guitarist, was to create new and distinctive repertoire for the instrument. To this end it followed an enlightened commissioning policy by which non-guitarist composers were encouraged to try their hand, often for the first time, at writing for the guitar. The hope – perhaps the expectation – was that they would fall in love with the instrument and explore it in a fresh way.

Edwards’ concerto, which over the years has acquired the subtitle Arafura Dances, is cast in three movements: a lyrical and expressive adagio framed by two of his familiar Australian dance/chants, or maninyas, in which fleeting references to a variety of musical cultures – Australian, South-East Asian, as well as the instrument’s traditional Spanish, are woven into a fabric of insect rhythms and drones. Edwards, clearly under the spell of Darwin and coastal Arnhem Land as he composed, refers to the turquoise Arafura Sea as a constant backdrop. Other influences include flora and fauna of the region and the colourful Macassan sailing boats in Darwin’s Maritime Museum.

The concerto, dedicated to John Williams, was commissioned by the Darwin International Guitar Festival, with assistance from the Australia Council. The first performance took place on July 7, 1995 on the lawns of the Darwin Casino. John Williams was soloist, and Martin Jarvis conducted the Darwin Symphony Orchestra. The score was revised in 2012 and an arrangement has been made for harp and string orchestra.

Bernard Rofe