Sun Music: Journeys and Reflections from a Composer's Life

An engaging account of Peter Sculthorpe's life of music.

From his birth in a backwater in Tasmania, he has become an internationally renowned composer with works commissioned by some of the leading orchestras and chamber players of the world.

Of particular interest is his conviction and practice that Australian music should be distinctive from the traditions of Western or European music, and be open to the influence of Asian and Pacific cultures. 

The book contains fascinating accounts of the influences of particularly Indonesian and Japanese music on Australian composers. He also relates his many friendships with cultural figures as diverse as Robert Helpmann, Patrick White, Donald Friend and Russell Drysdale.