(b. 5 February 1939, Auckland).
New Zealand composer of mostly stage, orchestral, chamber, choral, piano, and electroacoustic works that have been performed in Asia, Australia, Europe, New Zealand, and North America.
Mr. Rimmer initially studied at the University of New Zealand, where he earned his BA in 1961, and later studied composition with Ronald Tremain at the University of Auckland, where he earned his MA in 1963 and where he also had postgraduate studies in musicology. He then studied electronic music with Gustav Ciamaga and analysis and composition with John Weinzweig at the University of Toronto and earned his DMus there in 1972.
Among his honours are the Philip Neill Memorial Prize from the University of Otago in Dunedin (1971, for Composition 2; 2003, for Bowed Insights), First Prize in the International Horn competition in the USA (1983, for De Æstibus Rerum), and the Prix de la Confédération Internationale de la Musique Électroacoustique de Bourges (1986, for Fleeting Images).
He is also active in other positions. He served as composer-in-residence to the Auckland Philharmonia in 2002–03.
He lectured at North Shores Teachers College in Auckland from 1970–74 and served as composer-in-residence at the University of Otago in Dunedin in 1972, on a Mozart Fellowship. He taught at the University of Auckland from 1974–99 and founded its studio for electronic music in 1976 and its ensemble for contemporary music the Karlheinz Company in 1978. There he was awarded a personal professorial chair in music in 1995.
COMPLETE LIST OF WORKS
STAGE:
Fond Youth (text by Ian Wedde), dance troupe, 5 mixed choruses, small orchestra, fixed media, 1972
The Juggler (music-theatre work, text by the composer, after 13th-century sources from France), high voice, tenor, bass, male chorus, variable ensemble, 1976
A Midsummer Night's Dream (incidental music, play by William Shakespeare), female chorus, recorders (1 player), shawm, cornet, fixed media, 1980
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (music-theatre work, text by Betty Gilderdale), 5 soloists, dance troupe, Renaissance ensemble (recorders, shawm, gemshorn, sackbuts, psaltery, violin, percussion), 1981 (also concert version of some sections as Gawain Suite, 3 recorders)
Galileo (chamber opera in 3 acts, libretto by Witi Ihimaera), soprano, 2 mezzo-sopranos, 2 tenors, 3 baritones, mixed chorus, flute (+ piccolo), oboe, clarinet (+ bass clarinet), French horn, violin, cello, piano, percussion, fixed media, digital images (by Wayne Howe, Michael Lonsdale, Alex Sutherland), 1998
ORCHESTRAL:
Symphony No. 1, 1968
December Nights, small orchestra, 1970
Expomusic, large orchestra, 1970
Explorations-Discoveries, French horn, orchestra, 1971
Iconoclasm, brass band, 1971
Seven Reactions, youth orchestra, 1971
Second Journey, flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn, bassoon, 12 strings, 1972
At the Appointed Time, large orchestra, 1973
The Horns of a Dilemma, 2 French horns, orchestra, 1974
The Ring of Fire, small orchestra (16 players), 1976
Concerto, viola, orchestra, 1980
Gossamer, 12 strings, 1984
Meeting Place, 1984
Singing Ocean, youth symphonic band, 1988
Symphony No. 2, 'The Feeling of Sound', 1989
Cloud Fanfares, 1990
Millennia, brass band, 1991
Your Piano is My Forte (concerto), piano, small orchestra, 1991
Four Pieces, youth symphonic band, 1994
Memories, youth orchestra, 1998
Vulcan (fanfare), 1999
Symphonic Triptych, brass band, 2001
Agincourt (march), brass band, 2002
Europa (concerto), brass band, orchestra, 2002
Leafspin, 2002
Transcend – Concerto for Orchestra, 2003
Lahar – Volcanic Flow, 2003
Thermal Labyrinths, brass band, 2004
Stellar Meditations, brass band, 2004
Ubique (concert march), brass band/military band/symphonic band, 2004
Hidden Treasures, French horn, orchestra, 2005
Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence, brass band, 2006
Breathalyzer, 2006
Manukau Refrains, 3 percussion, orchestra, 2007
Trust, symphonic band, 2009
Sacred Stones, instruments of the Māori, brass band, 2009
Frozen Landscape, tenor horn, brass band, 2010 (version of Frozen Continent, soprano cornet, piano)
Riffs 'n' Ructions, brass band, 2011 (also version as Waimea Ructions, brass, percussion)
Suite Helen (5 pieces), symphonic band, 2011
Five Anniversary Haiku, 2016
Crystal Water, cornet, brass band, 2016
Silken Threads, English horn, string orchestra, 2018 (also version as The Sound of Silk, English horn, string quartet)
From the Astrolabe, brass band, 2018
CHAMBER MUSIC:
Octet, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 French horns, 1964
Serenade 1, 2 flutes, alto flute, bass clarinet, vibraphone, xylophone, 1967
Composition 1, French horn, fixed media, 1968 (also version as Retrofit, tuba, fixed media, 2011)
Composition 2, flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn, bassoon, fixed media, 1969
Composition 5, percussion, fixed media, 1971
Refrains, Cadenzas and Interludes, string quartet, 1971
Abstract as White, violin, viola, cello, 1972
Composition 4, flute, fixed media, 1972
In Memoriam George Hopkins, tenor recorder, percussion, 1972
Interplay, harpsichord, percussion, 1972
Soliloquy, harp, 1972
Composition 3, harp, fixed media, 1973
Composition 7, bassoon, piano, fixed media, 1973
Composition 8, violin, fixed media, 1974
The Exotic Circle, 6 recorders, 2 percussion, 1974
A Cry in the Wilderness, recorders (1 player), harpsichord, 1975
Epitaphium, violin, 1975
Mirror-Pond, recorders (1 player), percussion ad libitum, 1975
The New Tristan, recorders (1 player), synthesizer, percussion, fixed media, 1975
Where Sea Meets Sky 2, flute (+ piccolo), clarinet, violin, cello, piano, percussion, 1975
Vexilla Regis, recorders (1 player), 1976
Composition 10, double bass, fixed media, 1977
Extro-Intro, French horn, live electronics, 1977
Jongleurs, 2 soprano recorders, 2 alto recorders, tenor recorder, 1977
Whakaari – Island of Mist, soprano recorder, 1977
Soundweb, trombone, fixed media, 1978
Thoughts from Peria, flute, oboe, clarinet, harpsichord, string quartet, 1978
Seaswell, trumpet, fixed media, 1979
Emergence, clarinet, percussion, 1981
Tides, French horn, fixed media, 1981
Marathon, cello, live electronics, 1982
Sonata a 5, French horn, 2 trumpets, trombone, tuba, 1982
De Æstibus Rerum, clarinet, French horn, violin, cello, piano, 1983
Clouds over Pirongia, 4 percussion, 1984
Gawain Suite, 3 recorders, 1984 (concert version of sections of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight)
Projections at Dawn, clarinet, fixed media, 1985
Signals, French horn, 2 trumpets, trombone, tuba, Renaissance ensemble (cornett, sackbut, 2 crumhorns), 1985
Cosmic Dances, 4 recorders, 1986
Voyager, 3 recorders, fixed media, 1986
With the Current, flute (+ alto flute), cello, piano, percussion, 1986
Omarama – Place of Light, trumpet, violin, piano, 1987
Tritones, French horn, synthesizer, 1987
Coils, bass clarinet, marimba, 1989
The Revelation of Increasing Complexity, bass clarinet, marimba (+ vibraphone), 1989
Crow, oboe, fixed media, 1991
Hauturu – Where the Winds Rest, bass clarinet, 1992
Mahurangi – Place of Importance, viola, 1992
Bowed Insights, string quartet, 1993
Southern Invention, any low instrument, piano, 1993
Arioso-Spiritoso, flügelhorn, piano, 1995
Murmures, flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, percussion, 1995
The Ripple Effect, flute (+ piccolo), clarinet (+ bass clarinet), French horn, violin, cello, piano, percussion, 1995
At the Base of the Whirlpool, bass oboe, bass clarinet, 1996 (also versions for 2 bass clarinets, 1999; bass clarinet, cello, 1999)
Fanfare and Processional for NT, 4 trumpets, 3 percussion, 1996
A Dialogue of Opposites, cello, 1997
Merger, 2 French horns, tuba, 1999
Murmures 2, E-flat clarinet, clarinet, bass clarinet, 2000
Tacking Duel, 2 French horns, percussion, 2000
AU, bass clarinet, ensemble (flute [+ alto flute], French horn, bass trombone, cello, double bass), 2002
The Dance of the Sibyl, violin, 2002
Kakapo Reborn, bass trombone, ensemble (bass clarinet, cello, double bass), 2002
Other Flutes, amplified Baroque flute, fixed media, 2002
On the Way to the Airport 1, French horn, 2 trumpets, trombone, tuba, 2003, revised 2009
Transcendental Fragments, 2 oboes, English horn, 2003
Fragile Earth, oboe, violin, viola, cello, 2004
Cosmic Winds, player (porotiti [whizzer of the Māori], rehu [flute of the Māori], pūtorino [flute–trumpet of the Māori], pu motomoto [trumpet of the Māori], pūtātara [conch trumpet of the Māori], pūkaea [wooden trumpet of the Māori], ku [percussion instrument of the Māori], panguru [percussion instrument of the Māori]), fixed media, 2004 (collaboration with Richard Nunns)
Frozen Continent, soprano cornet, piano, 2005 (also version as Frozen Landscape, tenor horn, brass band)
Cold Wind, cello, 2005
Burning the Calories, violin, cello, piano, 2006
Fifty Apples for Eve, flute, piano, 2006
Metamusic, flute, piano, 2007
Summer Street, clarinet, string quartet, 2007
Adieu KS, violin, 2008
The Moon Rises Over Tapu Bay, 4 French horns, 2008 (also version for 4 saxophones, 2008)
Serenade 2, flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn, bassoon, 2009
Diversions, French horn, trumpet, trombone, tuba, 2010 (also version for 4 saxophones, 2010; versions as Divertimento, 4 French horns, 2010; Four by Four, 4 clarinets, 2011)
String Quartet No. 3, 2010
Waimea Ructions, brass, percussion, 2012 (version of Riffs 'n' Ructions)
Beyond the Call, 5 players, 2012
Nelsonian Riffs for Guitar Quartet, 4 guitars, 2012
Ingrid's Song (microscore), alto flute, 2013
Brooklyn Dances, French horn, trumpet, trombone, tuba, 2013 (also version as Brooklyn Dances 2, flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn, bassoon, 2014)
Cimarosa's Delight, oboe, 2013
Kokako Dreams, flute, clarinet, piano, 2013 (version of For the Kokako, piano)
Streets Ahead 2, oboe, bassoon, 2014
On the Way to the Airport 2, flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn, bassoon, 2014
Sacred Murmurs, 4 cellos, 2014
Iridescent Shells, violin, cello, piano, 2015 (version of Flashes of Iridescence, piano)
Kimbolton Serenade, violins/cellos, 2016
Smooth Surfaces, tenor horn, piano, 2016
Gruntled, 2 French horns, 2 trumpets, trombone, euphonium, tuba, 2017
Elegy for the Kauri, cello, piano, 2017
The Sound of Silk, English horn, string quartet, 2018 (version of Silken Threads)
Life's Joy, cello, piano, 2018 (version of The Broken Heart)
Elegy for the Kauri 2, guitar, violin, 2018
String Quartet No. 4, 'Abstract as White', 2018
Elegy for Riki, euphonium, piano, 2018
Bruma, guitar, 2 violins, 2018
String Quartet No. 5, 2018
Smooth Surfaces 2, French horn, piano, 2018
After the Meeting, 3 flutes, alto flute, bass flute, 2020
CHORAL:
Dies Sanctificatus, mixed chorus, 1967
O Magnum Mysterium, mixed chorus, 1967
Seven Summer Haiku (texts by Sora, Matsuo Bashō), female chorus, piano, 4 percussion, 1970
Lovesong (text from an anonymous source of the Māori), mixed chorus, flute, 1972
Visions 1 (text from the Bible), soprano, baritone, 2 mixed choruses, fixed media, 1975
As the Waves Cover the Sea (text from the Bible), female chorus, small orchestra, fixed media, 1977
A Song of Humility (text from the Bible), soprano, female chorus, 1978
Alleluia, soprano, alto, tenor, bass, mixed chorus, 1987
The Record of Music (text by Confucius), 8 mixed voices, 1989
TGS '75 (text by Mark Richards), youth mixed chorus, piano, 2002
Voyagers (text by Rachel Bush), female chorus, flute, 2 violins, piano, synthesizer/vibraphone, xylophone, 2004
O for a Thousand Tongues (text by Thomas Jarman), mixed chorus, brass band/organ, 2008
The Divine Secret, mixed chorus, piano, percussion, 2009
Tenebræ, mixed chorus, 2013
Anzacs Remembered, mixed chorus, piano, 2014 (shorter version of work for baritone, brass band)
Psalm of the Cosmos (text from an anonymous source), mixed chorus, 2014
Nativity (text by Joy Cowley), mixed chorus, 2014
In Friendship (text from an anonymous source), mixed chorus, 2016
A Prayer of St. Francis (text by St. Francis of Assisi [anonymous translation]), mixed chorus, piano, 2017
The Search for God (text by Jocelyn Marshall), 3 mixed voices, 2019
The Journey (text by Joy Cowley), 3 mixed voices, piano, 2020
Haiku of the Waves (text by the composer), 8 mixed voices, fixed media, 2020
VOCAL:
Two Songs (text by W. H. Auden), soprano, piano, 1964
Pukeko (text by Ian Wedde), mezzo-soprano, flute, oboe, French horn, cello, piano, 1972
Composition 9 (text by Ian Wedde), soprano, fixed media, 1976
Narcissus (text by Ian Wedde), soprano, flute, trumpet, cello, piano, percussion, 1979
Ubi Eum Crucifixerunt (text from the Book of John), soprano, oboe, 2008
Motet for Hildegard (text by St. Hildegard of Bingen [English translation]), soprano, oboe, fixed media, 2008
Anzacs Remembered (text by Laurence Binyon), baritone, brass band, 2010 (also shorter version for mixed chorus, piano)
Psalm of the Nativity (text by Joy Cowley), soprano/tenor, piano, 2014
The Broken Heart (text by Joy Cowley), soprano, piano, 2018 (also version as Life's Joy, cello, piano)
PIANO:
Composition 6, piano, fixed media, 1972
Beyond, 1978
For the Kokako, 1978 (also version as Kokako Dreams, flute, clarinet, piano)
Centrifugues, 1987
Preludes of Light, 1987
Flashes of Iridescence, 1995 (also version as Iridescent Shells, violin, cello, piano)
Hammerheads, 2 pianos 8 hands, 2008
Three Pieces, 2 pianos 8 hands, 2008
Seven Character Sketches, 2015
Kimbolton Preludes, 2016
Covid and Beyond – 19 Micropieces for Piano, 2020
ORGAN:
Fantasia, 1983
HARPSICHORD:
Mobiles, 1972
ELECTROACOUSTIC:
Canzona, fixed media, 1968
A Sengai Question, fixed media, 1970
Homage to Paganini, fixed media, 1974
White Island, fixed media, 1974
Where Sea Meets Sky 1, fixed media, 1975
Colder far than Snow, fixed media, 1977
Poi, fixed media, 1979
De Motu Naturæ, fixed media, 1985
Fleeting Images, fixed media, 1985
Beyond the Saying, fixed media, 1990
An Inner Voice, fixed media, 1991
A Vocalise for Einstein, fixed media, 1991
Redundancies, fixed media, 1993
Pacific Soundscapes with Dancing, fixed media, 1995
La Voce di Galileo, fixed media, 1995
Ancestral Voices, fixed media, 2000
People, Power and Pollution, fixed media, 2000
Distant Rituals, fixed media, 2006
Ancient Chemistry, fixed media, 2017
Hokusai Reflections, fixed media, 2019
The Embers of Dreams, fixed media, 2020