"Serious fun" is the best way to describe Three Little Pieces for Eve (2006). It is a lively and entertaining set of three contrasting pieces in which the percussionist uses household objects including bottles, flowerpots, mixing bowls and a triangle. Syncopated piano chords are stitched together by the percussion part at the outset of the work. The discordant tonal quality of the alternating chords are duly contrasted by a short repeated figure which evokes a sense of childhood playfulness.
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.
