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  Douglas Lilburn (aged 21, 1936) Man Alone (stand-alone feature)

Compiled especially for an international audience, Douglas Lilburn - Man Alone is a 51 minute stand-alone radio feature that explores the character of one of New Zealand's most eminent composers.

The programme focuses on the recollections of Douglas’s niece - Jeannie Lilburn, fellow composer and very close friend Jack Body, and the Reverend John Murray. They all point to the complex personal nature of Douglas, which is underscored in the programme by some of his most lyrical compositions.

Douglas Lilburn - Man Alone is aimed at an international audience that may or may not know about Douglas Lilburn or his compositions, but is interested in discovering a complex artist through the memories of his close family and friends. It has been broadcast by a number of top international public radio networks and is available to other interested broadcasters.


People who feature in Douglas Lilburn - Man Alone: John Murray, Peter Vere-Jones, Jeannie Lilburn, Jack Body, Ron Burt, Douglas Lilburn and Jenny McLeod.

Next Broadcast: Friday, 6th February 2004 at midday, nationwide on Concert FM.

Duration: 50'42

Reference (sometimes media) numbers are listed next to archival material that can be sourced from Sound Archives/Nga Taonga Korero [SA/NTK] or the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand/Te Puna Matauranga o Aotearoa [ATL].


00:13 Music: Occasional Pieces for Piano (1942-73), performed by Margaret Nielsen (piano), recorded in 1981 [SA/NTK 14358].
00:38 John Murray: Douglas's funeral was a very private affair ... description.
01:45 Peter Vere-Jones: "Light, warm sunlight" - reading from Douglas's unpublished Memories of Early Years - a selection of autobiographical sketches [ATL A-2001-172-004].
Underscored by Occasional Pieces for Piano (1942-73), performed by Margaret Nielsen (piano), recorded in 1981 [SA/NTK 14358].
02:14 Jeannie Lilburn: Douglas was Uncle Gordon.
03:30 Peter Vere-Jones: "The river enters early..." - reading from Douglas's unpublished Memories of Early Years - a selection of autobiographical sketches [ATL A-2001-172-004].
Underscored by Soundscape with Lake and River (electronic, 1979) [SA/NTK 14535].
04:00 John Murray: "A paradise to roam in" ... living in his own home bush.
Underscored by Three Inscapes (electronic, 1972) [SA/NTK 14417].
04:58 Peter Vere-Jones: "I have trailed after my brother Euan..." - reading from Douglas's unpublished Memories of Early Years - a selection of autobiographical sketches [ATL A-2001-172-004].
05:27 Music: The second of Three Sea Changes, performed by Margaret Nielsen (piano), recorded in 1983 [SA/NTK 14288].
05:47 Peter Vere-Jones: "My father, growing up in Scotland..." - reading from Douglas's unpublished Memories of Early Years - a selection of autobiographical sketches [ATL A-2001-172-004].
06:59 Jeannie Lilburn: Early schooling/life.
Underscored by Piano Sonata - Opus 1 (1932), performed by Margaret Nielsen (piano), recorded in 2002 on Douglas's newly restored piano, housed at the National Library.
09:42 Jack Body: "If it had to be music" ... working back on the farm.
Underscored by Drysdale Overture (1937), performed by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir William Southgate, recorded in 1995 [Radio New Zealand DAT 962307].
12:22 Jeannie Lilburn: An outcast in an ordinary family .
Underscored by Occasional Pieces for Piano (1942-73), performed by Margaret Nielsen (piano), recorded in 1981 [SA/NTK 14358].
14:07 Peter Vere-Jones: "My paradisal security collapsed suddenly..." - reading from Douglas's unpublished Memories of Early Years - a selection of autobiographical sketches [ATL A-2001-172-004].
15:03 Music: Sings Harry (1953), poem by Dennis Glover, performed by Terence Finnegan (tenor) and Frederick Page (piano), recorded ca. 1959 [Radio New Zealand Tape 66].
16:42 John Murray: Douglas didn’t suffer fools gladly, the strength of the Man Alone.
17:32 Ron Burt: Using imagery to convey what he meant in music.
Underscored by Seventeen Pieces for Guitar (1969-70), performed by Milton Parker (guitar), recorded in 1977 [SA/NTK 14571].
20:25 Peter Vere-Jones: "Pukeroa school was also used on Sundays..." - reading from Douglas's unpublished Memories of Early Years - a selection of autobiographical sketches [ATL A-2001-172-004].
Underscored by Sounds and Distances (electronic, 1975) [SA/NTK 14525].
21:20 Jack Body and Douglas: Communication through music rather than speech. Archival interview recorded in 1975 [SA/NTK 14560].
22:17 Music: Summer Afternoon (1947), poem by Basil Dowling, performed by Rosemary Gordon (soprano) and Gwyneth Brown (piano), recorded in 1965 [SA/NTK 14559].
24:08 Jack Body: He felt that he was the black sheep in the family.
26:31 Jeannie Lilburn: He talked to me about his homosexuality.
28:00 Music: Duo for Violin and Viola (1942), performed by Ruth Pearl (violin) and Jean McCartney (viola), recorded in 1966 [SA/NTK 14558].
21:20 Jack Body and Douglas: Freedom works on many levels. Archival interview recorded in 1975 [SA/NTK 14560].
30:28 Peter Vere-Jones: "They came off their boat..." - reading from Douglas's unpublished Memories of Early Years - a selection of autobiographical sketches [ATL A-2001-172-004].
Underscored by The Return (1965), electronic sound image [SA/NTK 14384].
31:00 Music: Occasional Pieces for Piano (1942-73), performed by Margaret Nielsen (piano), recorded in 1981 [SA/NTK 14358].
31:06 Peter Vere-Jones: "My strong-willed mother..." - reading from Douglas's unpublished Memories of Early Years - a selection of autobiographical sketches [ATL A-2001-172-004].
31:32 Jeannie Lilburn: He was aware of his status ... saying goodbye.
Underscored by Diversions for String Orchestra (1947), performed by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra conducted by Georg Tintner, recorded in 1977 [SA/NTK 14334].
35:34 Douglas Lilburn: Composing has become more difficult for me.
Underscored by Three Bars for the Blood and Bone (1968), performed by Margaret Nielsen (piano), recorded in 1982 [SA/NTK 14358].
36:40 Jenny McLeod: He felt like he was not needed - people make their own music.
37:55 Jeannie Lilburn: 1988 letter, withdrawing.
Underscored by Sonatina (1948) for Clarinet and Piano, performed by Richard Foreman (clarinet) and Bruce Greenfield (piano), recorded in 1990 [SA/NTK 15417].
39:35 Jenny McLeod: My only fight with Douglas.
Underscored by St. Joan (1955), performed by members of the National Orchestra conducted by James Robertson, recorded in 1955 and remastered in 1988 [SA/NTK 14435].
41:18 Jack Body: The growing physical ailments.
Underscored by From the Port Hills, originally the fourth of Five Bagatelles for Piano (1942), performed by Douglas Lilburn, recorded in 1946 [ATL Phono Q 1250].
45:18 John Murray: He never talked about what happens after death, more about life and the creation.
46:23 Jeannie Lilburn: Letting go of family.
48:04 Peter Vere-Jones: "On the last day of the holiday..." - reading from Douglas's unpublished Memories of Early Years - a selection of autobiographical sketches [ATL A-2001-172-004].
48:48 Music: A Song of Islands (originally titled Song of the Antipodes, 1946), performed by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra conducted by John Hopkins, recorded in 1985 [SA/NTK 14341].