Fanfare Kotahitanga
by Anthony Ritchie, for symphonic brass, Opus 232
A celebratory fanfare for the brass section.
The idea for the fanfare came to the composer in the middle of a restless night while he was undergoing chemotherapy.
The long, arching pentatonic melody at the start creates a sense of hope and determination which is signified in the
title of the fanfare: Kotahitanga is the Māori word for unity, togetherness or collective action and became familiar
to the broader New Zealand community during the tumultuous Covid years, and since. There is a sense that genuine
Kotahitanga is difficult to achieve at present but worth striving for.
The fanfare weaves variations around the opening melody, with a short, quieter middle section that features solos. When the melody returns it builds to a blazing climax, becoming a celebration of unity and expressing optimism for the future.
Instrumentation - Symphonic Version
4 horns in F, 2 trumpets in B flat, 2 tenor trombones, 1 bass trombone, 1 tuba
This will be premiered by the NZSO on May 8 & 9 in Hamilton and Tauranga
Instrumentation - Large Brass Ensemble Version
10 horns in F, 8 trumpets in B flat, 3 tenor trombones, 1 bass trombone, 1 tuba
This version will be performed in Dunedin by the NZSO combined with the DSO on May 15th.
Duration: 3:30’ approximately