Sonnets is a setting of Shakespeare's sonnets which forms part of the larger theatrical work This Holy Fire of Love by Rima Te Wiata, Kristian Lavercombe and Gareth Farr. While Sonnets does not follow the same dramatic narrative as This Holy Fire of Love, it features ten of the 154 sonnets - 26, 24, 144, 56, 113, 114, 130, 80, 18 and 116.
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.
