Farr's Cadenza is in four continuous movements. The Remote Control erupts in an angry blare of noise, before vacillating in mood - slowly at first, then faster and faster as it hurtles toward a roaring crescendo. Long rows of notes mark a change of pace in the sparse, quietly intense The Derivation of Musical Wisdom. The freneticism returns in The Game Show, while the sinister The Rachenitza revels in dance-like rhythms and Eastern European melodies.
Gareth Farr is an indisputably colourful figure in New Zealand music. And whether scored for percussion duet or the resources of two large orchestras, Farr's music reflects his personality – bold, brash, or delicate and sensuous, but inevitably, immediately, engaging. Rhythmic elements of his compositions can be linked to the complex and exciting rhythms of Rarotongan log drum ensembles, Balinese gamelan and other percussion music of the Pacific Rim. In addition to his music for the concert chamber, Farr has written music for dance, theatre and television.
