Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Commissioned in 2012 by Peter van Drimmelen and the Wellington Chamber Orchestra (now Wellington City Orchestra), Kenneth Young's 'Douce Tristesse' (Sweet Sadness) features lush string writing and expressive solos from the woodwinds, harp, solo viola, and concertmaster, depicting the warm melancholy of leaving a place full of fond memories.
On the work, the composer writes, "The impetus for the work came following our family’s final visit to a particular spot in the Bay of Plenty near Tauranga where we had holidayed every summer for 13 years. We just loved it there; the view from the deck over Tauranga Harbour towards the Kaimai Ranges is one of the most ravishing scenes I can think of. However, the elderly owners of the cottage had to sell it and move on, so that was that. The piece is about looking at a familiar and fond vista for the very last time. It is so beautiful, and you love it so much, but you are aware you will never see it again.”
Performed by the Auckland Philharmonia, conductor Shiyeon Sung, in the Auckland Town Hall, 15 May 2025.
Audio recorded by RNZ Concert - producer Emre Ekici, engineer Adrian Hollay. Filmed and edited for SOUNZ by Chris Watson. Film funded by NZ On Air.
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Learn more about the composers and performers of music from Aotearoa New Zealand on our website (sounz.org.nz), or by following us on Facebook (@SOUNZnz), Instagram (@sounz_nz), or TikTok (@sounz_nz).
#nzmusic
Commissioned in 2012 by Peter van Drimmelen and the Wellington Chamber Orchestra (now Wellington City Orchestra), Kenneth Young's 'Douce Tristesse' (Sweet Sadness) features lush string writing and expressive solos from the woodwinds, harp, solo viola, and concertmaster, depicting the warm melancholy of leaving a place full of fond memories.
On the work, the composer writes, "The impetus for the work came following our family’s final visit to a particular spot in the Bay of Plenty near Tauranga where we had holidayed every summer for 13 years. We just loved it there; the view from the deck over Tauranga Harbour towards the Kaimai Ranges is one of the most ravishing scenes I can think of. However, the elderly owners of the cottage had to sell it and move on, so that was that. The piece is about looking at a familiar and fond vista for the very last time. It is so beautiful, and you love it so much, but you are aware you will never see it again.”
Performed by the Auckland Philharmonia, conductor Shiyeon Sung, in the Auckland Town Hall, 15 May 2025.
Audio recorded by RNZ Concert - producer Emre Ekici, engineer Adrian Hollay. Filmed and edited for SOUNZ by Chris Watson. Film funded by NZ On Air.
--
Learn more about the composers and performers of music from Aotearoa New Zealand on our website (sounz.org.nz), or by following us on Facebook (@SOUNZnz), Instagram (@sounz_nz), or TikTok (@sounz_nz).
#nzmusic
