Compositions

 
Performed by Tristan Carter (violin) and Alistair Fraser (taonga puoro) at Stroma: Tātai Whetū, Hannah Playhouse, 28 June 2017. Audio recorded by RNZ Concert. Film funded by NZ On Air.
Performed by Ariana Tikao (taonga puoro), Alistair Fraser (taonga puoro), Tristan Carter (violin and taonga puoro) and Stroma, at Stroma: Tātai Whetū, Hannah Playhouse, 28 June 2017. Audio recorded by RNZ Concert. Film funded by NZ On Air.

Ngaere (2017)

Ngaere, (to quake, oscillate), a co-composition of Alistair Fraser and Tristan Carter, is an exploration of some of the many voices of Hine Pū Te Hue - the Atua of gourds.

 

Tohoraha (2010, rev 2017)

Tohoraha dwells on the primacy of sound in the lives of whales. This semi-improvisational work is scored for string quintet and taonga pūoro. 

The preparation of this piece was an exploration of this unique auditory world, beginning with listening to underwater recordings of whales, finding those voices on our instruments, and responding to each other's improvisations.

 

Naga (2013)

This piece incorporates meditative and repetitive qualities along with themes of instability and asymmetry. The fluid string lines snake around the gamelan's precise tones attempting to loosen the tonal relationships the listener is hearing.

 
 

Duet for amplified cello and violin. A semi-improvised collaboration between Tristan Carter (violin) and Charley Davenport (cello).

Attacus Atlas (2011)

Duet for amplified cello and violin. A semi-improvised collaboration between Tristan Carter (violin) and Charley Davenport (cello).

 
 

Performed by the Tasman String Quartet Anna van der Zee (violin) James Andrewes (violin) Christiaan van der Zee (viola) Miranda Wilson (cello) Recorded and filmed by Roy Carr.

Murmur (2007)

Murmur explores the physicality of breath, with whispering and invocations of wailing, sometimes at the threshold of audibility, at other times descending into a moaning chaos. In this piece I experimented with the timbral potential of my violin, developing techniques best suited to express the sounds I imagined, and also discovering new possibilities along the way. The work is dedicated to a much-loved uncle who tragically passed away while I was completing the composition.