Abstract
Picture Stones are huge stone monuments engraved by Vikings. The music describes a child from Viking times contemplating a Picture Stone, and imagining journeys and battles ahead.
The composition was started during Anthony's residency at The Visby International Composers' Centre, in Sweden, October 2016. The initial inspiration for the work came from the marvellous collection of Viking picture stones (Bildsten) in the Visby Museum. These ancient artefacts comment on elemental aspects of human life in symbolic images. For example, it is possible a human life is represented by the journey of a Viking boat from dawn through to darkness. Representations of the sun are prominent on many stones, underlining its importance in the culture. This chimed with the composer's own experience on Visby, with the sun being in short supply much of the time! At the same time the composer was developing an interest in naïve art, and the possibilities of creating an equivalent naïve music. These ideas inform this trio.
The music can be heard through the lens of a child in Viking times, contemplating a Picture Stone, and imagining journeys and battles ahead. However, the movement titles should not be taken as strictly programmatic: rather they relate to the child's imaginings. This trio has been recorded on the CD Nara by The Klara Kollectiv, and released by Rattle Records.
This work was commissioned by Anna McGregor and Manu Berklejon for the Klara Kollectiv from Sweden, for performances during their Chamber Music New Zealand tour in 2018