Moya Henderson (b. 1941)

Dombrovskis Quartet (2016)

This quartet was commissioned by Julian Burnside AO, QC.

I: Morning Mist, Rock Island Bend,

Naming the movements of the quartet after famous, iconic, photographs by Dombrovskis is an act of homage towards , this dear little Aussie ‘reffo’ from Latvia, who revealed to Australians just how magnificent their wild (empty?) places were. Dombrovskis learnt from , and older, but equally precious little ‘reffo’, this time from Lithuania, what was out there in the Tasmanian wilderness, if you were brave enough to go searching for it. These two great photographers found paradise (and their eventual, untimely deaths) in ’s wilderness. (Where is the Truchanas Quartet? I hope it will be written one day.)

Roland Peelman warned that this latest quartet of mine was ‘different’. Is it immediately beautiful? Mm, I’ve had to listen to it myself several times recently, to discover, in its complexity, just what is there. Dear audience, you only get the one go at it. But the superb Acacia Quartet will tell you as much as is possible about what to feel and know about the music. (Henderson 2018)

II: Red Phase, deciduous beech, Cradle Mountain, Lake St Clair National Park

There is much playfulness throughout all movements in this piece. Much of the play comes from the constant changing of intervals in the repetition passages. I found that changing one note often meant going back and changing a whole lot of other notes. Fun! I am deeply indebted to the composer, Kevin Volans, for his comments on early drafts for this piece. His perceptive remarks changed my whole style of writing. (Henderson 2018)

III: Myrtle Tree in Rainforest, , Southwest Tasmania

Halfway through this movement there’s an obligato (special melody) for the violist to play. This part of the quartet was written at the time of the Orlando nightclub massacre in 2016. I commemorate that tragedy. Anecdotally, whereas Roland asked about the piece, ‘Are you afraid of empty bars?’ (it is pretty dense); Kevin Volans, my mentor in this work, had earlier asked if I was afraid of writing for the viola? (There were some empty bars in the viola part in that 3rd movement up to that point.) So, I wrote the Orlando Lament for Stefan Duwe, the Acacia Quartet’s violist. Funny, how special moments in a work come about.

(Henderson 2018)