During his tenure as composer-in-residence with Chamber Music New Zealand, Farr lived in a house overlooking Wellington's Owhiro Bay, which inspired the composer to write Owhiro, his first string quartet. Owhiro Bay looks out over the Cook Strait, which separates New Zealand's North and South Islands and is one of the most dangerous and unpredictable stretches of water in the world. Owhiro means "the place of the god of darkness". The work changes as quickly as the waters that inspired it, from sparkling blues to deep-grey greens, from flat glass to churning boil. The observer's own response is made manifest in the mood and character of the music, rather than in a depiction of the sea in any sort of impressionistic way.
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.
