The best new piece of music for me this year was the oratorio "Watershed: the Death of Dr Duncan", by Joseph Twist, with libretto by Christos Tsiolkas and Alana Valentine. With music of utterly haunting beauty, it tells the story and the aftermath of the gay hate crime in 1972, when Dr Duncan , a newly appointed law lecturer at the University of Adelaide, was thrown into the River Torrens and drowned. This business of "giving the faggots swimming lessons" was a popular pastime by members of the local Vice Squad (part of the police force), who used to gather at a known gay beat to harrass the men there. Nobody in 50 years has been convicted of this crime, although court action was initiated against several vice squad members. But this crime did lead to homosexual law reform, in which South Australia was a national leader. As I say, the music is haunting, the emotional punch is considerable, and the effect of the entire piece is almost overwhelming. I can't recommend it highly enough. #oratorio #gay #hatecrime #classicalmusic #christostsiolkas