songs found in dream was commissioned by the Salzburg Festival and premiered by Klangforum Wien, in August 2005. The composer has provided the following note:

" 'Song,' 'found,' 'dream': These are seemingly well-worn poetic terms. In the ecstatic art of the Aboriginal nations in the western desert regions of Australia, these poetic categories take on aesthetic values that emphasize an energetic quality. In these cultures, rituals are brought into being by shaman-healers who 'stalk and capture' songs, dances, ceremonial body markings, and other designs in dream. It is said that they recognize these forms by the force of their 'shimmer.' For instance, songs found in dream are described in the Kukatja language as 'kalyuyuru' - 'like water shimmering as it falls'."

09/06