Farr's Five Little Monologues features accomplished writing for clarinet duo, its language and phrasing always interesting. Across its five movements, the players must negotiate quiet ripples, angular shrieking, fleet-footed melodies, sprite-like staccato playing, quick alternations between the instruments' high and low registers, often imbued with a refreshing element of humour.
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.
