Morning Concert:
Vincent Plush (1986)

In 1986 composer Vincent Plush, whose music in his native Australia enjoys a popularity akin to that of our own John Adams here, visited the KPFA studios to discuss his orchestra piece, "Pacifica", which was premiered June 14, 1986 by the Sydney Symphony under the direction of Zdeněk Mácal, at the Sydney Opera House on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of ABC-FM radio. Plush, born in Adelaide, South Australia, in 1950, also introduces important music by other Australians and talks about the plans for the celebration of the bicentennial of his country. Plush's music, incorporating Australian themes in the collage fashion of the American composer Charles Ives, has taken an internationalist turn in "Pacifica", a 25 minute work which celebrates the music of those cultures and countries in Latin America which border the Pacific Basin. The piece contains references to the mariachi musicians of Mexico City, and to Victor Jara, the Chilean folk singer martyred in the military coup of 1973.