A composition for piano, and two viola.
This classically influenced piece of Australiana folk is
composed as a dream-like lament: the pining and searching
for a lost-love; the ache of wishing to return to a lovers
embrace.
– Story –
Arthur’s ship (HMAS Perth) is destroyed in the Pacific War: the
crew are lost at sea. The autumn of 1942 turns into winter with still no word on Arthur.

Mirla believes that if anyone could survive the sinking it would
be Arthur. And so each day is lived in hope, and each night is
lived in a dream, a searching for her lost-love and wishing to
return to his arms and make up for the time they have lost to
war.

– Conversation Notes –
The sorrow-soaked piano and lyrical violas (performed by
Jessica Arlo Irish) makes this a heart-wrenching piece about
searching for a return to a lovers embrace. The music expresses
the yearning for connection between lovers separated by time,
space and circumstance.

The ethereal piano melody and plaintive violas were arranged to
rise and fall, circle, merge, then separate. It’s like a flirtatious,
tentative and tender dance, like teenagers testing and teasing out
each others love. Unlike most teenage romances, theirs will be
impacted by the responsibilities of war. And so the movement
has a melancholic and wistful tone.

The track ends in a heart-wrenching moment: an extended
gossamer viola note, then a base piano chord – ominous, like the
tolling of a bell.