Ross Edwards

I: Maninya I

II: Arioso

III: Maninya II

In 1993 Adrian Walter, Artistic Director of the Darwin International Guitar Festival and himself a fine guitarist, suggested I write a concerto for John Williams to premiere with the Darwin Symphony at the 1995 Festival.

I accepted the commission with much enthusiasm and some trepidation as I'd had no previous experience of writing for the guitar. As I worked on the score I had plenty of advice and encouragement from such key members of the Australian guitar community as Adrian Walter, Timothy Kain and Phillip Houghton, and I was reassured from time to time by John Williams' phone calls from London, in the course of which he'd discuss (and play) problematic bits of the solo part.

The concerto is in three movements: a lyrical and expressive adagio framed by two pulsating maninyas (Australian dance/chants), in which references to a variety of musical cultures are woven into a fabric of insect rhythms and drones. I always had before me, as I composed, Ian Morris' photograph of a gloriously flowering Red Bud Mallee against a deep blue sky (sent to me by Adrian Walter on the official 1993 Northern Territory University Christmas card), and I like to think this image is somehow inlaid in the music.

The concerto, dedicated to John Williams, was commissioned by the Darwin International Guitar Festival, with assistance from the Australia Council. The first performance took place on July 7 1995 on the lawns of the Darwin Casino. John Williams was soloist and Martin Jarvis conducted the Darwin Symphony Orchestra.