Australian Geographic — May-June 2017

18 Australian Geographic

O

UTSIDE THE gleaming

shells of the iconic

Opera House, Sydney

Harbour’s frenetic

evening rush hour is

in full swing. Packed ferries churn the

water as they come and go, whisking

commuters to their home suburbs.

Little yellow water taxis weave in

between as a colossal cruise liner slips

its moorings, does an elegant pirouette

and steams up Port Jackson towards its

next destination.

Inside, in the concert hall, which

seats more than 2000, the spirit of a

very different harbour is being evoked

through the dazzling artistry of

virtuoso oboist Diana Doherty and the

Sydney Symphony Orchestra under

the baton of maestro David Robertson.

The capacity audience is spellbound as

Diana plays through the work’s four

contrasting movements. Her technical

mastery on full display, she moves into

the final climactic section after which

the audience springs to its feet in

rapturous applause for an extended

standing ovation. It’s the premiere

performance of Spirit of the Wild, a new

oboe concerto by renowned Australian

composer Nigel Westlake, and, as the

man himself steps up to take a bow, the

applause rises into a cacophony of

whistles, foot stamping and cheers.

This new composition grew from

an unexpected 2016 visit by Nigel

with environmentalist Bob Brown to

remote Bathurst Harbour in Southwest

National Park, in the Tasmanian

Wilderness World Heritage Area.

Nigel was already exploring ideas for

a new work with Diana, but the impact

of Bathurst on him was profound. “My

introduction to this place of exquisite

beauty became the backdrop to my next

project – an oboe concerto commission

for the Sydney Symphony,” Nigel

explains. “As I pondered the ensuing

collaboration with Diana, the memories

and significance of my expedition

with Bob continued to infuse my

consciousness, leaving their finger-

prints on the concerto score in subtle

and mysterious ways.”

He was in Hobart when Bob invited

him to Bathurst Harbour. The two had

met at a conference where both were

guest speakers. “A few months later

I was conducting the Tasmanian

Symphony Orchestra and offered Bob

some tickets, but he said he’d already

booked and was bringing all the family

• and, by the way, what was I doing the
  day after?” Nigel recalls. The next day, a
  small group of musicians and environ-
  mentalists flew into remote Melaleuca,
  from where they explored the pristine,
  tannin-stained waterway of Bathurst
  Harbour, its button grass moors, windy

Nigel Westlake (left )

and Bob Brown during

the trip to Bathurst

Harbour in 2016.

PHOTO CREDITS, INSET: COURTESY NIGEL WESTLAKE; ABOVE: ANDREW BAIN / GETTY

Wild spirit

An encounter with the Tasmanian wilderness inspired a powerful new

orchestral work by acclaimed Australian composer Nigel Westlake.

Story by Chrissie Goldrick

TASMANIA

Bathurst Harbour