Pukul Wainui is an adaptation of Farr's percussion quintet Pukul (PE096), first written for the percussion ensemble group STRIKE. In this work the composer has combined the Javanese gamelan orchestra with the original work for percussion quintet.
Farr's Pukul Wainui, which translates to ‘Big Water Percussion', was titled to honor the University of Michigan Gamelan and Bali and the Cook Islands cultures for which the work is inspired. It combines Indonesian gamelan styles, Western orchestral percussion and traditional Cook Island drums. Pukui Wainui is written in the ‘soft' gamelan style, favouring the softer sounding instruments in the first row of the gamelan that produce a very ‘floating' sound.
Note: This Facsimile Edition study score includes a gamelan score of Pukul Wainui provided by the composer. For performance, a full score of Pukul (PE096) and five loose-leaf parts (PE096P) is required in addition to this Pukul Wainui Facsimile Edition study score.
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.
