February 27, 2014
Taonga puoro for war requiem
The sound of taonga puora will ring out tonight in the Cathedral of St Paul in Wellington in the world premiere of a work written to commemorate those who died in World War I.
Requiem For the Fallen by composer Ross Harris, poet Vincent O’Sullivan and taonga puoro expert Horomona Horo is part of the New Zealand International Arts Festival.
The performance also includes the New Zealand String Quartet and the Voices New Zealand chamber choir.
Horo says the collaboration was a chance to show a new audience the potential of traditional Maori instruments.
"Within the simplicities of taonga puoro to have a deeper understanding of Maori ancestry, of Maori stories, of pain, of love, of many facets of our culture that can be expressed in a modern contemporary way using our tradition as the foundation of our pathway," he says.
Horomona Horo is also preparing a work to perform at the opening celebrations for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in July.
FOR THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH HOROMONA HORO CLICK ON THE LINK
https://secure.zeald.com/uma/play_podcast?podlink=MTU3ODg=
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