The Darwin Symphony Orchestra (DSO) is to be congratulated on its bold programming and flawless performance in this concert, which was held as part of the Darwin Festival. Its centrepiece was the world premiere of Gurrulwa Guligi (Big Wind), composed by Senior Larrakia Elder Aunty Bilawara Lee and DSO Composer in Residence Netanela Mizrahi.

Darwin Symphony Orchestra: Vital Forces. Photo supplied

Commissioned by the DSO to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Cyclone Tracy, this 25-minute work is a patchwork of continuous spoken voice and music. Aunty Bilawara’s recollections of that terrifying night were interspersed with sound samples recorded on the night of Cyclone Tracy: radio warnings, the sound of the wind, and the eye of the storm.

The clattering music gave goosebumps as it evoked Aunty Bilawara’s powerful images – the howls and roars of the big wind and the thuds of the wind-borne missiles that devastated Darwin on Christmas Eve 1974. Trent Lee’s haunting didgeridoo added another layer to this moving piece celebrating the survival of a community 50 years ago.

“I was a young 24-year-old mother with two children. It was an experience I will never forget. And I’m so...