Programme Notes – Concerto for Cello and Wind Ensemble: Bojjhangaparitta

This work was written in 2013 and commissioned by Donal Flynn in memory of his wife Penpon. It is subtitled Bojjhangaparitta and takes inspiration from the Buddhist chant of that name.

The Pali word Bojjhanga is a compound of bodhi (enlightenment) and anga (factor while a Paritta (protection or safeguard) refers to the Buddhist practise of reciting or chanting certain verses and scriptures in order to ward off evil fortune or dangerous conditions.

The work lasts around twenty minutes and is in three parts: moderate speed, fast and a final slow movement which sets off with the Bojjhangaparitta theme, transcribed from Buddhist chant and starting in the solo cello, eventually passing through the ensemble, ending the work peacefully.