Contemporary Visions 7

Inspired by Nature includes Gareth Farr's composition Ruaumoko subtitled South Pacific Seasons about which the composer says: "It was intended to be a South Pacific Four Seasons and I based it on a Maori legend about Ruaumoko, the god of earthquakes. When the sky and the earth were separated, Ruaumoko was left in his mother's womb. From his subterranean dwelling he would shake the body of his mother, and in doing so cause the seasons to change." Farr placed earthquakes between the seasons, bountifully performed by his 'beloved' percussion section.

In this programme we also hear Eve de Castro-Robinson's fanfare for orchestra Other Echoes, the title of which is taken from a line in T.S.Eliot's Four Quartets: "Other echoes inhabit the garden". Of this piece, with its echoes of birdsong, de Castro-Robinson says, " it's a morality tale: looking ahead, looking back; using the endangered species as a metaphor for contemplating what sort of damage mankind has caused on this wonderful planet of ours".

October is the second month that 3MBS is featuring the new sounds coming out of New Zealand. The segment Focus on New Zealand Composers with Eva Light is aired weekly during every second month on Tony Thomas’ Contemporary Visions programme at 8pm Tuesdays allowing listeners to hear works they may not otherwise have had the chance to enjoy. Alan Wells, NZ musicologist, is co-creator of the series.

Each of October's four programmes features a theme:
bi-cultural Aotearoa; the cosmopolitan and multi-cultural state of the nation; nature's influence on New Zealand composition and finally, the playful role of jazz.

Eva Light welcomes your comments.