Symphonic poem temporary stop to the debate as to whether the genre was dead. Nevertheless, composers began to explore the "more compact form" of the concert overture "...as a vehicle within which to blend musical, narrative and pictoral ideas." Examples included Mendelssohn's overtures "A Midsummer Night's Dream" (1826) and "The Hebrides" (1830). Between 1845 and 1847, the Belgian composer César Franck wrote an orchestral piece based on Victor Hugo's poem "Ce qu'on entend sur la montagne". The work exhibits characteristics of a symphonic poem, and some musicologists, such as Norman Demuth and Julien Tiersot, consider it the first of its genre, preceding
Aotearoa (overture) His Majesty's Theatre in London. It was not performed in New Zealand until 1959, but it has since entered the standard orchestral repertory there. Typical of Lilburn's early work, the overture features idiomatic writing for winds, especially flutes, and vigorous dynamic contrasts. At least two recordings of "Aotearoa" have been made, one of which is "Symphony of Sails" performed by Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, conducted by Miguel Harth-Bedoya in 2002. (Universal CD 99172) Continuum NZ, "New Zealand Composers". New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Kenneth Young. Aotearoa (overture) Aotearoa is a concert overture written for orchestra by New Zealand composer Douglas Lilburn in