Kia Hora Te Marino
Original Instrumentation
Orchestra, Hand Percussion, Spoken Word Soloists and Chorus
Alternate Arrangements
Choral Octavo
Duration
4:00
Text
Maori Proverbs (sung in Maori)
Premiere and Commission Info
First performed at Waterford Union High School, Wisconsin, by the Waterford Union Chorus and Orchestra, conducted by Derek Machan, January 9, 2011. Subsequent performances at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, NY by the Distinguished Concerts Orchestra and Chorus, and Cadogan Hall, London by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
PROGRAM NOTES
Kia Hora Te Marino is a setting of a traditional Maori blessing. While the opening wordless chorus is evocative of the maritime imagery found in much Maori writing, the song also makes use of two traditional forms of oratory: the haka, a ritualistic choreographed group dance, and the whaikorero, a form of speechmaking used to unite the collective will of the people.
I wrote Kia Hora Te Marino as a companion piece to Baba Yetu. The main melody is derived from the two main thematic fragments from Baba Yetu, but placed in reverse order. The piece also ends on the same soft wordless 'ooh' that begins the entire Calling All Dawns song cycle, thus making it a complete circle.
REHEARSAL MATERIALS
AVAILABLE EDITIONS
FULL ORCHESTRATION
Most-commonly performed orchestration to approximate the sound of the album2(1dPicc).2.2.2/4.3.2+1.1/Timp+5/Pno/Harp/Strings
[Perc: GC, Tam-tam, SusCym, Chimes, Taiko, Ashiko, Stones, Shkr, Caxixi, Ptti]
DISCONTINUED EDITIONS
