A Song of Islands


A Song of Islands is a tone poem written for orchestra by New Zealand composer Douglas Lilburn in 1946. The work is the last in a trilogy of pieces exploring the theme of New Zealand identity; it was preceded by the overture Aotearoa and Landfall in Unknown Seas for narrator and string orchestra.
The piece has been recorded by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra under Sir William Southgate. A Naxos recording by James Judd with the NZSO was issued in August 2006; it also includes Lilburn's Aotearoa Overture, Forest, A Birthday Offering, Drysdale Overture, Festival Overture and Processional Fanfare.