Joseph Twist - "Wonga Vine"

Wonga Vine is Song 3 from 'An Australian Song Cycle' which was commissioned by Sydney Chamber Choir and premiered in 2021.
Australian composer Joseph Twist is one of the most in-demand music creators in Australia and abroad, straddling film music and concert music arenas. He has a wealth of experience in choral music as both a singer and composer, receiving numerous commissions and performances of his music from choirs in Australia and around the world.
The composer writes:
After 8 years living and working in the USA, I returned to Australia in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. ... Returning to the natural beauty of south east Queensland was not only soul nourishing. My works so often draw on my love of beaches, forests, sunsets and other natural wonders - even in LA where I enjoyed stunning West Coast sunsets and frequent Pacific swims. I rode out the early months of the pandemic on the Gold Coast with my parents.
The stunning rainforest and beach at Burleigh Heads wasn’t the only inspiration for this work. Working with my father, Jack Twist, a former English teacher, we explored how our unique natural
environment and flora and fauna were expressed by our most celebrated poets. The work traverses a comprehensive and contrasting array of Australian voices over the last century, drawing on poets from Banjo Paterson and Henry Lawson to Judith Wright, Michael Leunig, Les Murray and Oodgeroo Noonuccal.
These poems are rich with distinctly Australian imagery, perfect for a choral setting, with each exploring different elements of our natural surrounds. ... Judith Wright’s Wonga Vine is more mysterious in its description of flowers, leading to bursts of colour and driving rhythms from rapid piano flourishes.
___________
Look down; be still.
The sunburst day's on fire
oh twilight bell,
flower of the wonga vine.
I gather you
out of his withering light.
Sleep there, red;
sleep there, yellow and white.
Move as the creek
moves to its hidden pool.
The sun has eyes of fire;
be my white waterfall.
Lie on my eyes like hands;
let no sun shine -
oh twilight bell,
flower of the wonga vine.
Judith Wright
___________
Sydney Chamber Choir
Sam Allchurch, Artistic Director
Claire Howard Race, Piano
Singers in this video (L-R):
Soprano: Wei Jiang, Megan Cronin, Louisa Coussens, Kristen Butchatsky, Josie Ryan, Rose Trevelyan
Alto: Natalie Shea, Alison Lockhart, Allison Keene, Naomi Crellin, Vicki Kourkoumelis, Sarah Penn
Recorded at The Neilson, ACO Pier 2/3, Walsh Bay, Sydney on 25 June 2022
Filmed and edited by Hospital Hill
Audio recorded and mixed by Bob Scott
The making of this video was supported by the NSW Government through Create NSW and the City of Sydney.