A hundred years since the birth of Sir Edmund, the Hillary Centenary Steering Committee, with funding support from Creative New Zealand, commissioned Roar Of A Thousand Tigers for the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra. The work takes its name from Sherpa Tenzing Norgay's description to Sir Edmund Hillary of the violent, high altitude icy winds that buffet the uppermost slopes of Mount Everest, which they summited in 1953.
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.
