Whira [CF:PE011]

The powerful Whira (1997) demands both virtuosic pyrotechnics and nuanced expressive abilities from the solo violinist. The first and last of its seven movements are bold and ferociously inventive, while the longer second and sixth movements are slow and elegiac but no less concise or intense. The three middle movements form an intermezzo of sorts, incorporating a quirky pizzicato study and a clever 80th birthday tribute to Douglas Lilburn, doyen of classical music composition in New Zealand.