Commissioned by Carolyn Mills, principal harpist of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, this mysterious solo work dwells somewhere between consonance and dissonance, evoking the otherworldly quality of the ancient. The work's spacious, senza misura opening gradually reveals its scalar material, coloured with harmonics, before eventually settling into an undulating odd-metered pattern. Musical elements never remain static, with incremental harmonic changes taking place alongside gentle tempo fluctuations.
‘...it has a sense of wandering discovery which is both disturbing and beautiful.'
Harriet Cunningham, State of the Arts
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.
