Cosmopolitan Aotearoa explores the multicultural aspects of cosmopolitan influences on New Zealand composers featuring some who have looked abroad for inspiration, towards Asia for instance.

Jack Body has had a huge impact on bridging the musical cultures of New Zealand and Asia and continues to be a musical ambassador for his country. We’ll be hearing Arum Manis, written for and premiered by the Kronos Quartet in 1996, the inspiration was a Javanese fairy floss vendor’s playing of a melody on his two stringed fiddle to attract children to buy at his stall. (Arum manis is Indonesian for sweet smelling.)

Gareth Farr writes compositions that are particularly influenced by his study of percussion, both Western and non-Western. He utilises complex rhythmic sources from the Rarotongan log drum to Balinese gamelan and other percussive instruments of the Pacific Rim.

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.

New Zealand Music

Venue and Booking Details

Times are for Melbourne, Australia
The programme can be streamed though not yet podcast