Gareth Farr: Composer in Residence
A personal account by Justine Cormack, violinist and AWE Festival Director.
For a festival born at the foot of the Southern Alps of New Zealand, the music of our homeland means everything to us. Music crafted by New Zealand composers, music that is grown out of this place and that stems from our unique culture and heritage injects vital relevance to the experience of classical chamber music in New Zealand, and showcases our unique musical and cultural voice on the international stage.
In response, each Festival, we invite one outstanding Kiwi composer to be our Composer in Residence. We showcase a broad range of their music throughout the festival programme, giving our audiences multiple opportunities to digest and experience our resident composer’s unique musical language. We also commission a brand new work from our resident composer for premiere At the World’s Edge festival. The composer works closely with the Festival Artists, and the audience is given a chance to really get to know them through their on-stage introductions and additional free events.
Introducing Gareth Farr – 2022 AWE Composer in Residence
This year, our talented Composer in Residence is Gareth Farr. Having known Gareth my whole professional life, it is so exciting to be featuring his vibrant music in this year’s festival programme.
I first met Gareth 32 years ago in 1990. We were both playing in the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra at the time; Gareth as a percussionist and I within the violin section. I still remember being struck by his effervescence, his joy, and his enthusiasm for creativity - and of course, percussion!
I have also had the privilege of playing many of his compositions throughout my career. I’ve performed exuberant orchestral works such as From the Depths Sound the Great Sea Gongs, which harnesses the excitement of Rarotongan drumming. It involves no small amount of hooting and hollering throughout the orchestra - a treat I can’t help but love.
Gareth’s concerto for violin, cello, piano and orchestra utilises the full range of the three solo instruments, with exciting roller coaster runs and interlocking rhythms in the outer movements. The middle movement is celestial, with the orchestra used to beautiful shining effect.
Then of course, there are the many chamber music works that allow Gareth to show a more intimate side. Though, this is always accompanied by his characteristic driving rhythms and soaring melodies in the mix.
Gareth himself is a fun-loving character. His chuckles are ever-present, but he also has a serious side - a fact that also holds true for his music. Often featuring catchy rhythms, his music characteristically has drive and energy at its core, while his melodies hold a charming simplicity and an emotional power. His music never fails to engage and move me.
When I spoke with Gareth recently, he had this to say: “I’m extremely excited about the chance to hear all seven works in such close succession. It is hard to get a sense of perspective of one’s own works as a composer, but this will be an incredible chance to experience my own evolution as a composer, with compositions straddling my career.
I am aware that some of the earlier works were composed through an audacious naivety – honestly, I don’t really know how I composed them – for example, I actually can’t remember the process of writing ‘Shadow of the Hawk’ - but I love these earlier works and how they represent me in my youth as a composer.
I am conscious that later works have arisen differently – perhaps through a deeper trust in my ideas as they arise and a more mature perseverance to work with these ideas for longer, allowing me to structure the works more powerfully.
So, the chance to sit back and experience them all in a sort of ‘retrospective’ sense, and right next to the new commission that I am actually writing at this time, is going to be an incredible experience and a gift in so many ways!’
What does the Composer in Residence role involve?
The lion’s share of the Composer in Residence role involves the writing of a new commission to be premiered in the festival. As I write this blog, Gareth is currently working on a new piece for violin and cello, to be played by Benjamin Baker (AWE Artistic Director) and award-winning Polish cellist Maciej Kulakowski.
Asking Gareth how he goes about a new commission, he spoke of how important it is for him to know and understand the musicians that will play the work. He also very much considers the specific occasion to draw inspiration from. In this case, the performance is in the gorgeous Rippon Hall in Wānaka, overlooking the Southern Alps. Of the composition so far, Gareth says “taking the mountainous environment as one of its influences, the work is evolving to be a little bit harsh, a little bit dangerous, and quite a bit beautiful.”
In residence at the festival, Gareth will introduce all his works from the stage: sharing his reflections and offering background information and insights. Through this, the audience will undoubtedly get to know Gareth on a more personal level, inevitably gaining a more direct and meaningful experience of his music.
At our more intimate evening at Cromwell’s Cloudy Bay Shed, there will also be an open conversation between myself and Gareth, alongside solo and duo performances from Ben and Maciej. In these open conversations, we’ll be delving into what inspires, drives and impacts him as a composer.
In addition, Gareth will work alongside the Festival Artists in the rehearsal process. As part of our AWE Free Community Events, several rehearsals with Gareth will be open to the public at Te Atamira during the festival week, offering the chance to witness this rehearsal process.
Additional free events at Te Atamira will also see Gareth running some Balinese Gamelan workshops. This type of rhythmic and colourful music have been a strong influence within his compositions, especially in his earlier years.
Which of Gareth’s compositions will be featured in the Festival?
Mondo Rondo will be the first of Gareth’s works to be performed. A string quartet written in 1997, this is one of his earliest works to be featured within the festival. Mondo Rondo is a fun, high-octane romp with exotic melodies and percussive, funky interlocking rhythms that challenge expectations. It gets the toes tapping and puts a smile on your face. We’ll be performing Mondo Rondo within Bloom my heart on Saturday 8 October, at Rippon Hall in Wānaka.
Gareth’s new commission for violin and cello will be performed in the second festival programme, Tranquil Bay, on Sunday 9 October also at Rippon Hall.
Ngake and Whātaitai was written as a musical image of the legend of Ngake and Whātaitai: the two taniwha that legend say created Wellington Harbour. As the story goes, these two taniwha frolicked in a huge lake when they were younger. However, as they got older and outgrew the lake, they violently force their way through the rocks and out to sea, forming a harbour. Of this, Gareth writes: “Their yearning for the sea is a huge part of the drama in the narrative, and I've reflected that in the music. Even though this work isn't really a literal depiction of the story, the way the viola and piano lines intertwine suggests the two taniwha twisting and turning, at first harmlessly playing, but ultimately causing devastation.”
Where Will They Bury My Bones:
For Baritone, string quartet and piano, Where Will They Bury My Bones is one of Gareth’s most recent works. Set to the libretto from Paul Horan, this piece looks at the way we experience loneliness, distance and disenfranchisement from our natural country and our national life. Born out of the pandemic, this work is the most reflective and gentle of the set, premiered in January this year via an online release. Our festival performances will be the first time it is played live.
Along with Ngake and Whātaitai, Where Will They Bury My Bones will be performed within Nine Seas Away on Wednesday 12 October at Te Atamira, Queenstown.
Wakatipu for solo violin, written in 2009 for the Michael Hill International Violin Competition, was again inspired by Maori mythology, and this performance returns it to its ‘spiritual home’. It is a virtuoso romp around the violin that employs Gareth’s signature angular driving rhythms, as well as unusual scales built on minor seconds and minor thirds. Ben will be performing Wakatipu within Sei Solo, our special music, food and wine evening, on Thursday 13 October at the Cloudy Bay Shed in Cromwell.
Shadow of the Hawk for cello and piano was written in 1997, and is another of Gareth’s earlier works to be featured in the festival. True to form, it is a thrilling work, and one that shows the influence of Balinese gamelan music with its interlocking rhythms and joyful exuberance. Pervaded by a continual sense of forward momentum, it demands considerable stamina from both performers, the action occasionally giving way to more expansive and lyrical sections. Polish cellist Maciej Kulokowski will perform Shadow of the Hawk with Sarah Watkins on piano within Free but lonely on Saturday 15 October, at Te Atamira in Queenstown.
Octet for strings will be Gareth’s final work to be performed at the Festival. With eight players, it is the largest ensemble work within the festival. Of Octet, Gareth says: “such a group of string players is on the cusp of chamber music and orchestra music, small enough to be detailed and intimate, but with the weight and power to deliver a dramatic punch when necessary. I had fun working with this contrast of scope”.
The Octet will be performed by all eight Festival Artist string players at the final festival programme. This will form a powerful companion work to Schoenberg’s sumptuous and moving Verklärte Nacht – all within Into the night, on Sunday 16 October at Te Atamira, Queenstown.
We can’t wait to host Gareth Farr at this year’s At the World’s Edge Festival.
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