Stuck inside for ANZAC Day during COVID-19 lockdowns, jazz pianist Terence Koo wondered how the Last Post melody would sound with chords.
Playing with Sue Carson on violin, and Heather Price on double bass, Mr Koo debuted his arrangement at the 2022 Newcastle Music Festival at FogHorn brewery.
"Some of the audience came up to us and said it brought them to tears, and we just had great feedback," Mr Koo said.
"It was pretty special."
The 2022 concert was the first and, so far, only live performance of the re-imagined piece.
The trio recorded their version of the Last Post in February 2024 and will launch the video and audio on ANZAC Day this year.
The funds will go towards the RSL ANZAC Appeal to help returned service personnel and their families.
The Last Post is traditionally performed on a solo trumpet or bugle. But Mr Koo composed harmonies and orchestrated the piece for violin, piano and double bass.
He likened the arrangement to colourising old black and white photographs, a masterpiece imbued with different dimensions.
"It's a familiar piece that has been re-imagined and brought to a different kind of light," he said.
Mr Koo wanted to pay homage to the original piece, and he said he did not intend to replace it.
He said that while the original was sombre and melancholy, his version added hope for a better future, as well as ANZAC themes of courage, endurance and mateship.
Everyone will have a different interpretation of the piece, and Mr Koo knows it might not be all listeners' cup of tea.
"There might be a lot of people out there who are very traditional and would think nothing should be done to the Last Post," he said.
"I've hoped to have been respectful and cautious in the way I've approached it, and tried to paint more colours to what is already a masterpiece."
The performance was recorded at the Newcastle Conservatorium of Music by Thomas Mitchell, and the corresponding video was shot by videographer Ian Dunn.
The video will be available to watch for free on YouTube.
The audio can be bought for $2 at lastpost.au
