Gillian Whitehead - Tai timu, tai pari

We conclude our wrap-up of recent orchestral performances with Gillian Whitehead’s violin concerto ‘Tai timu, tai pari’. Gillian writes, “From my studio on the Otago peninsula I can look across the harbour towards the hills opposite, and what I see constantly changes. The tide ebbs and flows — tai timu, tai pari translates from te reo Māori as ‘low tide, high tide’ — light plays on the water, birds forage for food, rest on the water, whirl in flocks.

When I was writing, images of the variation in waves lapping on the shore, of distant disputes between birds or sea-creatures and birds in flight, of footprints on the beach came to mind. Not that the piece is primarily a soundscape — more than most of my pieces it harks back to the balance and proportions of the classical era.”

In this SOUNZ Film from the Auckland Town Hall, Andrew Beer is front-and-centre in the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra’s world premiere of ‘Tai timu, tai pari’, with conductor James Feddeck.

For further insight, we have an excellent interview with Gillian about ‘Tai timu, tai pari’ on our blog: https://shorturl.at/lrW79

Audio recorded by RNZ Concert.
Film funded by NZ On Air.