Collaborations
Ipu
Works with taonga pūoro, Voice and instrumental ensemble, Collaborations
For narrator, cello, piano and taonga pūoro
Text by Tungia Baker translated into Māori by Wena Tait
Ipu exists in recorded form only and was performed by Richard Nunns (taonga pūoru), Tungia Baker (narration), Judy Bailey (piano) and Georg Pedersen (cello).
About the work
Ipu tells in te reo Māori Tungia Baker’s story — reminiscent of the old teaching stories. It tells of of Waka, a canoe and Kowhai, an elegant yellow-flowered tree that grows on the Tararuas. Their mutual friend, Tui acts as a go -between, telling the Waka of Kowhai and Kowhai of Waka. Then one day, there is a great storm, which changes everything.
There are 4 sections:
- Waka, Kowhai and Tui
- Waka’s Love for Kowhai
- The Storm, and
- Aftermath.
Instrumentation
The taonga pūoro and piano parts are improvised to guidelines in the score, and the cello part is notated.
The taonga pūoro include: ipu, pahū pounamu, kōauau rākau maire, panguru, hue puruhau, poi āwhiowhio, ua roria rau karamu, pūtōrino rākaumatai, kōuaua ponga ihu, kōauau kōiwi kurī, kōauau kōiwi toroa, tumutumu, pūpū harakeke, porotiti, pūrerehua kōhatu pounamu, pukaea rakau manuka and karanga manu.
Recording
Buy or borrow the CD from SOUNZ.
Buy a digital version of the album from SOUNZ or Bandcamp.
Out the window breath, bone, feather
For cello, flute and clarinet
Out the window breath, bone, feather was commissioned with funding from Creative New Zealand, and supported by Carol Brown’s research award through the University of Auckland NICAI’s Faculty Research and Development Fund.
About the work
Choreographer Carol Brown and I devised Out the window breath, bone, feather — in collaboration with 8 exceptional performers, dramaturge Fiona Graham, photographer Solomon Mortimer and performance designer Kasia Pol — while I held the 3‐month University of Otago Wallace Residency at the Pah Homestead in Auckland. A performance on 21 October 2013 was the culmination of the residency — the music was performed by Luca Manghi (flute), Katherine Hebley (cello) and Andrew Uren (clarinet).
It is a site-specific piece in which the audience is led through Auckland’s Pah homestead from the portico to the crater behind the building. Working with sung and spoken text, dance, original music and working with the evocative paintings of Star Gossage, the piece allows glimpses into the history of the land, the house and its inhabitants.
It references prehistory with the dance of the moa, the use of the site as a Pah, the building of the house and the first family, the subsequent use of the building to house immigrants, as a boys’ home and as a convent. Today it is an art gallery and park for the people of Auckland.
Scores and recording
Buy or borrow the score from SOUNZ.
Out the window breath, bone, feather — SOUNZ
Hear and watch a recording of the performance at the Pah homestead.
Out the window breath, bone, feather — video
Interview
Before a season at the 2015 Auckland Festival, Carol Brown and I were interviewed on RNZ Concert.
Passio
Chamber orchestra or large ensemble, Choral music, Collaborations
For voices, brass, woodwind and percussion
The first performance of Passio was given by The Tudor Consort conducted by Alistair Carey and the Royal Air Force Band conducted by Owen Clarke, on 2 June 2006 at the Great Hall, Massey University, Wellington. The soloists were Alistair Carey (Evangelist), Brian Hesketh (Christus) and Madeleine Pierard (Spiritus).
About the work
Conceived by composer and close friend Jack Body, Passio is a re-contextualised version of Richard Davy’s (c.1465-1538) Passio Domini Nostri Jesu Christe.
Jack invited composers associated with the New Zealand School of Music — David Farquhar, Ross Harris, Michael Norris, Lissa Meridan and me — to work on a movement of the work each. My contribution was the Gethsemane narrative.
The premiere was memorable as the audience was encouraged to walk around the performance area during the performance which took place in the large and resonant Great Hall at Massey University. The work was reconstructed for the 2017 Auckland Festival.
Recordings
There is an audio recording of the first performance, and a video of a performance at the Auckland Festival in 2017.
Reviews
William Dart and Alex Taylor wrote reviews of the Auckland Festival performance.
Stroll through Passio — New Zealand Herald
What would Jack do? A review of Passio — The Pantograph Punch
Interview
Carla van Zon, Director of the Auckland Festival, and I were interviewed when the Auckland Festival performance was in preparation.
Symphony: the islands by Jack Speirs
For full orchestra and baritone
Poem by Charles Brasch
This symphony by Jack Speirs was incomplete when he died in 2000. I edited the first 2 movements. It is yet to receive a public performance but the 2 movements were recorded in 2010 by the NZSO conducted by Luke Dollman with David Griffiths (baritone).
Instrumentation
Symphony: the islands is scored for: 3*333; 4331; timpani, percussion, harp and strings.
Percussion: 3 drums, suspended cymbal and side drum
Score and recording
Buy or borrow the score, or borrow a CD of the NZSO performance from SOUNZ.
RNZ Concert has recorded the first 2 movements.
The river flows on …
For piano trio and Cambodian trio
the river flows on… was commissioned for the O Cambodia project with funding from Creative New Zealand. The first performance was given on 17 March 2011 by NZTrio and Tray So Ensemble at the 2011 Auckland Arts Festival in the Auckland Town Hall Concert Chamber.
About the work
There is a Cambodian proverb — ‘the rowing boat passes, the river bank remains’ — which to me suggests that isolated events in history, or in a person’s life, eventually pass, while history, or life itself, flows on.
Within the O Cambodia project, I wanted to present a narrative which moves on from the Khmer Rouge times into the future, moving from the hard times that affected every Cambodian who is now over 35, into a profoundly altered world. As much curated as composed, the river flows on … includes several songs and dances in their traditional form.
The first section of the river flows on… is ‘Prophecy’, which presents an ancient saying whose source is not remembered today. The second section, ‘Sokha’s Story’, tells the story of Sokha Mey, who currently lives and works in Wellington. She was a young girl living with her family in a small village near Siem Reap when Lon Nol’s forces were defeated and the Khmer Rogue came to power. The final section, ‘the river flows on…’ places Sokha’s story into the future, where she was able to make a new life for herself in New Zealand.
I am forever grateful to the Niborom Young, Sokun Chiv and particularly Sokha Mey for their invaluable help.
About the project
The O Cambodia project, devised and driven by Jack Body, involved 2 Cambodian and 2 New Zealand composers — Chinary Ung, Him Sophy, Jack Body and me — collaborating to create 4 works to be performed by NZTrio and the Tray So Ensemble — Him Savy, spoken and sung voice, and drums; Him Sophy, tro and spoken voice; and Keo Dorivan, wind instruments.
Instrumentation
The river flows on … is scored for violin, cello, piano, chhing bowl, narrator, soprano, khloy, drums, paipork and sneng.
Score and recordings
Contact me if you are interested in seeing the score.
Buy the CD from all good CD stores.
Listen to an RNZ recording from 2011.