For Gareth Farr, being one of the most well-known and successful New Zealand composers is not enough;

his alter ego of drag queen Lilith Lacroix sets him up as being an especially colourful character as well. Farr labels his own life as being a balancing act between music and the drag scene he maintains that his alter ego is in no way less artistic than his musical life. Although a selfconfessed shy man, both halves of his life reveal a natural performer who loves the attention of an audience. Farr was born in Wellington in 1968, with his parents moving to Auckland a few months later. From a very young age, he was naturally drawn to percussion and rhythm whether this was the family washing machine or Stravinskys Rite of Spring. He would later study percussion and composition at Auckland University. In 1988, however, Farr was exposed to the Indonesian gamelan kept at Victoria University. He called it the most incredible thing and immediately decided to move to Wellington to finish a bachelors degree in composition under Jack Body. It was to be a heavy influence on many of his works. In 1991, having gathered acclaim as well as numerous scholarships and grants, Farr travelled to New York to attend the Eastman School of Music. Gareth Farr has had numerous successes in a relatively short career so far. As well as having been a percussionist with both the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, his compositions have brought him to national attention. In 1993, he was given the title of composer-in-residence for Chamber Music New Zealand, being at 25 the youngest in their history. He was also composer-in-residence for the APO in 2007-2008, this too being an illustrious title. Finally, he was awarded the NZ Order of Merit in 2006 for his contributions to New Zealand music. Kembang Suling Kembang Suling (Indonesion: flower flute) was commissioned by the NZSO principal flautist Alexa Still in 1996. It was premiered in the same year by herself and Farr, at the International Festival of the Arts in Wellington. It features a strong influence of Asian cultures. The flute and marimba which the work is solely written for create a blending of timbre appropriate to Farrs ideal of the musical snapshots of Asia. Farr was heavily influenced in the writing of this piece by the Indonesian gamelan orchestra. His New Zealand upbringing and his study of non-Western music give him a unique insight into other cultures, which he has demonstrated very effectively in Kembang Suling. It is perhaps for this reason that the work is only performed to its greatest potential when he plays it with Still. Technical difficulty aside, his depth of knowledge about Asian culture gives him a special ability to play and interpret this piece. He instinctively works together with Still, frequently passing each other the melodic line with apparent ease. As a result, the work is only given full meaning when the pair play it together. I Bali Farr describes this movement as being a picture of the magical island of Bali. It is in essence a conversation between the flute and marimba. They begin in unison, but soon fall away from each other in a kind of musical disagreement. By the end, however, they are back in unison and are talking to each other peacefully. Farr uses the technique of hocketing, or sharing a melodic line between instruments, to create a flowing and watery effect. This movement is a product of the Indonesian Pelog scale, a 7-note scale with a mixture of large and small intervals between the notes. It is also an exercise in minimalism, with one melodic motif being repeated many times. Despite this, it requires great technical virtuosity on the part of the

performers because of its complex rhythms and long, swift runs. The wide range of dynamics also give it a dramatic effect and contribute to the idea of a musical argument between the two instruments. II Japan This is a beautifully reflective movement, with the flute being played in the style of the Japanese shakuhachi. The shakuhachi is an end-blown bamboo flute which originates from ancient times, and it is characterised here by the melodic decoration and pitch bending. It is typically played with a great deal of musical expression many traditional players consider the whole body to be a medium for producing the sound. Farr gives the flute player the ability to imitate this through his molto rubato direction the rhythms may be loosely interpreted, as they are only a visual representation of what should be a natural and flowing melody. Unlike the other movements, the marimba is relegated to an accompaniment role throughout. Its contribution to the piece is limited to providing the harmonic foundation. The flute takes control in this movement, dictating the rhythm and expression to be applied. Like a typical second movement, it has a narrow, soft dynamic range throughout, emphasising the thoughtful nature of the shakuhachi flute. III South India In direct contrast to the preceding movement, this is an exciting, temperamental race to the finish between the flute and marimba. The repeating cycle of time signature changes between 5/4, 5/8 and 5/16 creates a distinctly hurried feeling about the piece. The marimba plays an extensive melodic ostinato based around this three-bar cycle, leaving the flute to play a syncopated, crossrhythmic variation on the main theme. The movement is based on a Western interpretation of the tonality found in the Indonesian Slendro scale. This is a 5-note scale with roughly equal intervals between each note