Perfect for percussion quartets seeking to add energy and theatricality to their repertoire, Volume Pig places Farr's sense of humour alongside his formidable sense of rhythm. Dedicated to New Zealand percussion master Murray Hickman and premiered by Hickman's STRIKE Percussion ensemble, Volume Pig shifts unpredictably between overwhelming noise and barely audible whispers, its intricate textures peppered with wild shrieks, grunts and howls.
Volume Pig (vo.lium pig). n. 1. Name of a rare subspecies of the pig family, porcus amplificatus, normally found dwelling in remote Southland bogs. The unusual hunting tactics of this creature have long been a curiosity to zoologists; it confuses and stuns its prey by uttering a frantic succession of wild grunts, howls and piercing screams, causing the unfortunate prey to fall to the ground, covering its ears in extreme agony. 2. Colloquial name given to a person with a particular propensity for composing music of an unusually loud nature.
"And thank goodness for a serious composer with a sense of humour to go with his sense of rhythm. Volume Pig is a witty, enjoyable, beautiful, soft, loud, rather long piece – just what you'd expect from Farr."
