Various Artists - Ross Edwards: Frog and Star Cycle - Symphony No. 2 'Earth Spirit Songs' - Symphony No. 3 'Mater Magna' (2022) Hi-Res

One of Australia’s best known and most performed composers, Ross Edwards has created a distinctive sound world based on deep ecology and an awareness of the need to reconnect music with elemental forces and restore its traditional association with ritual and dance. This new release presents iconic and world premiere performances of three of Edwards’ most significant orchestral works: his Second and Third Symphonies, plus the Frog and Star Cycle, a concerto for saxophone and percussion which expresses themes of renewal and wholeness by transforming fragments of ancient plainsong to suggest the mystery, fragility and continuous evolution of life, and the interconnectedness of all things. Throughout all three works we hear abundant shapes and patterns that recall the natural world: birdsong, frog and insect rhythms and the pulsating summer drones of cicadas, presenting a distinctly Australian musical perspective on the world.