- The Story Behind the Sea Gongs
In 1995, Gareth Farr was commissioned to write the official piece for the NZSO's 50th birthday celebrations. Roger Lloyd, artistic manager of the NZSO at the time, chose him after being impressed by another of Farr's works, Tabuh Pacific, written for orchestra and Javanese gamelan. Lloyd's vision of the work was a multicultural piece, taking inspiration from music around the Pacific Rim. The piece was to be in two parts: a short impressive prelude followed by a more extensive tone poem - the total length being about 25 minutes. This was to give versatility to the work, so Part One could be played solely as a rousing concert opener or the whole work as a substantial concert item.
Farr contemplated adding ethnic performance groups with the orchestra for Sea Gongs, but eventually decided to use just orchestral instruments. His reasoning was that "this piece was a celebration of the orchestra, and the many wonderful sounds and textures it can......
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