Chameleon Arts Ensemble to Perform Taheke by Farr

May 20th, 2010

Among the ‘Classical Picks’ for this week in the Boston Globe (Boston, USA) is the Chameleon Arts Ensemble of Boston presenting two concert performances of their programme ‘flung on canvas like notes divine’, which features Taheke for flute and harp by Gareth Farr, alongside works by Faure, Pierre Jalbert and Tchaikovsky, at the Goethe-Institut, Boston, MA USA, on 22 and 23 May.

Founded in 1998, Chameleon has distinguished itself as one of the finest and most versatile chamber ensembles in Boston, having produced more than 60 concerts and performing nearly 226 different works by 120 different composers. They perform a wide range of music - combining classic repertoire and contemporary music in programmes with distinctive thematic concepts.

Artistic Director and flautist for Chameleon Deborah Boldin will perform Taheke with harpist Anna Reinersman as part of their programme this weekend.

Taheke is the Maori word for ‘waterfall’. Farr writes: ‘The three movements of this work each represent a different New Zealand waterfall. The first is the Huka Falls near Taupo. The placid Waikato River is gradually channelled into an increasingly narrow chute, finally erupting into a waterfall of unbelievable power and fury; then, as quickly as it has built up, the water subsides back into a calmly flowing river.

‘In contrast to the famed reputation of Huka Fallls, the waterfall of the second movement is known only to my family, on our land in the Marlborough Sounds. It is utterly secluded in the bush, only accessible on foot through thick undergrowth. The waterfall is cool, dark and mysterious.

‘The finale represents the sprightly elegance and grandeur of the Whangarei Falls in Northland, a beautiful cascade of sparkling rivulets.’

Visit the Chameleon Arts Ensemble website for more information.

Check out Taheke at Promethean Editions.