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Dialogue

  • Text
  • Gamelan
  • Vibraphone
  • Farr
  • Marimba
by Gareth Farr | Vibraphone and Marimba

in-Residence for the

in-Residence for the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra. The residency culminated in 2008 with the premiere of Ex Stasis, a symphonic song cycle for four soloists. In 2008, Farr also celebrated the world premiere of his work Terra Incognita, for bass solo, choir and orchestra, performed by Paul Whelan and the Orpheus Choir with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. Farr’s artistic excellence was acknowledged when he received the Arts Foundation of New Zealand’s Arts Laureate Award 2010, which aims to celebrate significant artistic achievement as well as nurture future creative endeavours. In March of 2014 Farr’s Concerto for Piano and Orchestra received its world premiere from soloist Tony Lee and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Pietari Inkenen. Its UK premiere followed one year later, with Lee backed by the BBC Philharmonic, with conductor Tecwyn Evans. The BBC Philharmonic included Farr’s work alongside Douglas Lilburn’s Symphony No.2 as a programme to mark the 100th anniversary of the ANZAC troops’ battle at Gallipoli during World War I. The concerto received critical acclaim, described by the Dominion Post’s John Button as containing “marvellously free piano writing surrounded by orchestral sounds that conjure up memories of Prokofiev ballets, Ravel’s L’Enfant et les Sortileges and even the Bartok First Piano Concerto…the ear was tickled bar after bar. I have no doubt that this marvellously inventive piano concerto is bound to develop an international life all its own.” Farr’s music is particularly influenced by his extensive study of percussion, both Western and non-Western. 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. Latest information about the composer may be found at www.garethfarr.com. PE083 – iv

Dialogue (2005) I. Introduction II. Kotekan III. Moto Perpetuo Those familiar with Farr’s work will be aware of his love of Indonesia’s gamelan music. For Dialogue, each of its three movements centre on an aspect of the gamelan playing style, which includes interlocking techniques and virtuosic complexity with mixed meters and fast syncopated rhythms. The first movement, Introduction, blends the resonant timbral qualities of both instruments to ghostly effect, as rolled marimba chords mingle with a soft vibraphone figure played con pedale. The roles are then switched somewhat, as vibraphone chords punctuate downbeats while the marimba plays a stream of tuplets that leap throughout the instrument’s upper range. The players then fall into interlocking semiquaver rhythms, building to climax before returning to the eerie atmospherics of the movement’s opening. Kotekan opens with elastic but unison rhythmic beating, which then alternates with light, free flowing passages comprised of interlocking rhythmic patterns. Both playing styles gradually elongate and develop throughout the movement. The final movement, Moto Perpetuo, requires the players to navigate ever-changing meters while maintaining rhythmic unison in an almost unbroken stream of pitches. As with the opening movement, the timbral blending of the two instruments creates a bronze haze reminiscent of the gamelan ensembles so treasured by Farr. Dialogue was commissioned by the HRL Morrison Music Trust (with funding support from Creative New Zealand). It received its premiere performance from Double Lateral (Jeremy Fitzsimons and Kristie Ibrahim) at Ilott Theatre, Wellington, New Zealand on 2 October 2005. A recording of Dialogue is available on Trust Records album Tangaroa (MMT2058). PE083 – v

Score Library

Gamelan Vibraphone Farr Marimba