Black Leaf (2020/2023)

I was commissioned to write Black Leaf by pianist Kamilla Arku and violinist Dhiyani Heath for a series of concerts in 2020.

The inspiration for my piece came from a photograph posted on Social Media by my friend Antonia Baldo. In the photo a green leaf, used in her daughter’s art project the year before, sits beside a black leaf — it appeared on Antonia’s doorstep one morning, a portent of the approaching wildfires that ravaged Australia in 2019.

The piece is in 4 movements; the first expresses this sense of a warning, something in the distance which is getting nearer. The second feels like a spark has been lit, sending gout the fire; the third sporadic fires, dying out. The last movement portrays a barren landscape, bleak after the burning, but also green shoots are appearing, there is a slight sense of hope.

Dhiayni and Kamilla’s concerts, due to be held in London, Paris and Cambridge, had to be delayed because of the pandemic, but will be rearranged when possible.