鈥淚 was struck by the beauty of the songs from Mahler鈥檚 Des Knaben Wunderhorn that depicted nature, but also by the hidden darkness of the considerable number with a military theme. I combined lines from seven of these to create a new poem, to allow me to explore the relationship between the natural world and the duties of a soldier. The title, Trallali, Trallaley, Trallalera, reflects the folk tradition of the poems and I wanted to use it as a symbol for the youthful optimism of the soldiers during the dawn patrol. As the piece progresses, it takes on a dark irony as the soldiers are confronted by the horrors of war; the pastoral scene interrupted by the discovery of fallen comrades. I have explored parallels between the cyclical patterns found in nature and the continuation of conflict.鈥�
Programme Note by Sarah Jenkins