Pounamu by Fisher is perfect for choirs seeking to perform a work that combines Western and Māori musical traditions enhanced by a solo flute. Inspired by the sparkling summer waters of New Zealand's Tasman Bay, the work employs a choir setting to explore resonances of Māori vowel sounds. The waiata (song) that emerges during the work is based on a tainui whakataukī, or proverb. The flute part can also be performed on Japanese shakuhachi or the Māori koauau.
Martin Lodge, Canzona 1997
Pounamu is an attractive short piece that manages to synthesise convincingly aspects of our Western and Maori musical traditions.
“Helen Fisher occupies a very special position in New Zealand music because of what she chooses as the sources of her musical language.... In her vision of an integration of Maori traditions into a European musical language, she has chosen a very difficult path, but she is a composer willing to take risks.... Perhaps, ultimately, what she is confronting are the most important and relevant issues in New Zealand music today.” Jack Body, Concert FM Broadcast, 11 June 1995
