An exuberant work - and the composer's first for wind quintet - Mad Little Machine features constantly changing rhythms which evoke a sense of what Farr describes as "some crazy little machine that gets stuck in a rhythmic groove and then trips over itself, zooming off in a completely different direction."
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.
