Written for New Zealand's Jade String Quartet, Look to the Far Horizon sees Adams attempt to capture some of the atmosphere and character of the skies and seascapes surrounding his home city of Dunedin, New Zealand, and the nearby Otago peninsula.
Gentle clusters evoke the typically bleached skies and clouds of the Otago environment, while a simple modal tune introduces the building block from which everything is derived, its short note-long note rhythm sometimes transforming into a clipped "scotch snap". Close imitative entries echo seabirds taking flight in close formation, while upper-register interruptions in biting, bracing harmony suggest the shrieks of seabirds in southerly winds and a graceful violin tune takes inspiration from the fight of the albatross.
Peter Adams has taught at the University of Otago’s Department of Music since 1990. He has taught theory and analysis, harmony, conducting, and composition. He employs a poly-stylistic language where influences as diverse as jazz, Americana and expressionism are incorporated alongside his own mixed-modal language.
