Downloadable sample pages found at the link here.

Instrumentation: Flute, Oboe, Clarinet in Bb, Bassoon, Horn in F

This woodwind quintet was written at the invitation of Cathryn Gurrin in early 1999. It takes its name from the location in Taroona, Bonnet Hill, and Kingston Beach, Tasmania, Australia. I remember riding my bicycle in the area around that time and seeing the sign ”Alum Cliffs Walking Track“.

Accordingly, the piece became inspired by the atmosphere of the bush area. The area is not far from where my teacher and now long-standing friend, the composer Don Kay lives and this piece owes much of its extroverted character to his own music. Although a relatively early work, it alongside with another work Little Kingfisher Suite, represents early, essentially Tasmanian-inspired, works.

In terms of technique, there are eclectic influences at play, seemingly often contradictory - e.g. modernity and folklore. Not having settled in Tasmania exerts a restlessness to my music which continues, unresolved, almost thirty years later. Thus there are links between early works and more recent ones carrying explicit palawa kani names. However, there hasn’t been a self-conscious development of a ”style” on my behalf. My muse seems to be continually seeking to fuse the local past with the global present.

SB, Berlin 2025