Darwin in 1942 was a very small tropical town living with the uneasy anticipation of war, as local composer Cathy Applegate noted in introducing her commemorative work, Darwin 1942, created for two special concerts by the Arafura Wind Ensemble (AWE) at Christ Church Cathedral in Darwin on February 18 and 19.

Arafura Wind Ensemble’s A Homage, from Engagement to Peace concert, February 2022. Photo © Paz Tassone.

The 6 1/2-minute work formed a moving finale to A Homage, from Engagement to Peace, which took the audience on a musical journey back to this remote northern town in the lead-up to and during the bombing of Darwin 80 years ago on February 19, 1942.

Rather than creating a militaristic atmosphere, the composer – who is a cellist and local GP – evoked the uneasiness and uncertainty felt by those living under the threat of war in her opening theme. This was interrupted by the stirring sound of Japanese taiko drums, played by Chris and Jess Spargo, expressing a slower and more thoughtful mood.

“It reminds us all that suffering in war is ubiquitous, everyone is affected,...