4 Sep 2011

Douglas - Landscape of a New Zealand Composer - Episode 3

From Douglas: The Landscape of a New Zealand Composer, 2:00 pm on 4 September 2011
Portrait of Douglas Lilburn taken in the garden of his house at 22 Ascot Terrace, Thorndon, Wellington, 1960s.

Portrait of Douglas Lilburn taken in the garden of his house at 22 Ascot Terrace, Thorndon, Wellington, 1960s. Photo: Alexander Turnbull Library.

Douglas Lilburn drew great strength and inspiration from the natural world around him. In the third episode, Nature, Douglas's family and friends discuss his sensitivity to nature and geography, and his integration of the natural world into his creative work.

Douglas himself talks about growing up on a sheep station, and of his sense of aloneness stemming form childhood experiences and schooling at Waitaki Boys' High School.

Gwyneth Brown talks about Douglas's choice to live alone, and his solitary nature; Jeannie Lilburn talks about his beloved jungle and his vegetable garden; and John Hopkins talks about Symphony No. 3 as the self-portrait of a very private man.

Finally, Douglas's closest friends and family reflect on the subject of his sexuality, and the role it may have played in his deep sense of isolation.