Farr's penchant for percussion and drama come to the fore in Pagan Prayer (1992) for soprano, four trombones and percussion quartet. This dramatic work sets to music two poems by Charles Baudelaire, La Rebelle (The Rebel) and La Prière d'un Païen (Pagan Prayer). Dealing in primal, pounding rhythms and blasts of brass, the soprano soloist also joins the percussive party by beating on metal plates.
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.
