It was in the aftermath of the 2020 summer bushfires that a singer rang me from Cyprus to suggest I compose a work about climate change, a subject of concern for me. My research for lyrics did not elicit anything I considered suitable, so I turned to Derek Dowding, a local poet, singer, actor, raconteur, and a person vitally interested in the future of humanity and of the planet.

Ross Fiddes

Ross Fiddes. Photo © Photolook Newcastle

Derek and I had worked together before – he brilliantly performed the role of Abelard in the workshopping and concert performances of my hybrid opera Abelard and Heloise, which, in 1997, won a CONDA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Newcastle Theatre, against some 200 other stage productions in Newcastle’s bi-centenary year.

Derek worked long and late on the lyrics for the work, producing an emotional document covering history, cause and effect. His text produced musical responses from me, which I consider react appropriately to both his words and the subject matter. I hope our listeners will agree.

For the musical treatment, I had to consider that the length of the work –which is a 30-minute sung-through...