Iris de Cairos-Rego: Arabesque in A Minor for Piano

Iris de Cairos-Rego: Arabesque in A Minor for Piano

Iris de Cairos-Rego (1894–1987) belonged to a remarkable generation of Australian women composers whose contributions to the nation’s musical life were largely overlooked after their deaths. A child prodigy, pianist, teacher and composer, she studied in Germany and enjoyed a distinguished musical career in Australia. Yet, like many of her contemporaries, much of her music remained unpublished, out of print, or inaccessible for decades. Recent research by pianist and scholar Jeanell Carrigan has helped restore de Cairos-Rego’s place in Australia’s musical heritage through the publication and recording of her works. Among her works for piano, Arabesque in A Minor reveals the lyricism and craftsmanship that characterise her writing and exemplifies the rich body of music now being rediscovered from Australia’s neglected women composers.

ABRSM G6 Alternative 2027-28