Gallopoli for string Quartet was commissioned by the Ian Potter Foundation’s Cultural Trust in 2014 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of ANZAC. It received its first public performance in early 2015 by the Australian String Quartet in Albany, Western Australia, the final port of call for the troopship carrying the Australian Infantry Forces to Egypt.
The composer writes: ‘Gallipoli’ ranges between the sorrowful, drone-based questioning with which it begins and a graceful tenderness. There are outbursts of contained anguish, consolatory moments which draw briefly upon harmonic idioms of the period, until finally, an ethereal violin melody wanders heavenwards – still seeking an answer – over a prayer for peace.
Technically and thematically interlinked, the work ends with an evocative reminiscence of the spirits of The Fallen floating above the Dardanelles Peninsula. Ross Edwards is one of the outstanding Australian composers of his generation and his contribution to music in Australia has been profound.
From the CD Gallipoli (c) The Ian Potter Cultural Trust, 2014