Composer Barry Conyngham prepares to launch his emotional stories of rejection and reconnection into a brave new world.

Work Diasporas
Composer Barry Conyngham
Scored for Symphony orchestra
Commissioned by Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
Premiere May 21, 2016
Performers Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by Robert Spano

As this work is my 37th involving orchestra, it’s timely to ask why do this? Why write another piece involving such a lot of effort – so many notes, so many decisions, so many things to imagine? For me, the answer is simple: creating music for orchestra is a passion. It is also a challenge and, of course, a privilege, especially when a major orchestra is going to perform the work. It is another chance to write for between 70 and 100 fantastic performers – one super instrument! – an opportunity to contribute to the literature, to add another voice to the soundscape that is the modern symphony orchestra.

Because I have done it so often, the beginning, the first imaginings, present a choice. Do I build on what I have done before, perfect the things that I think have worked? Or do I start again? In recent pieces the answer is a bit of...