Ka Tangi te Kārearea a te Rangi Uaheke (The Falcon Screams on a Rainy Day)

"When the Kārearea screams on a rainy day, it is an indicator that it will be fine the following day."

Ka Tangi te Kārearea a te Rangi Uaheke is a solo percussion performance by Riki Pirihi recorded at the summit of Moe-i-te-rā (Brooklyn Hill) in Te Whanganui a-Tara (Wellington). The composition is for drums, gongs, and cymbal, and the accompanying sky.

Released on 20 March 2024 at the time of Ngahuru, Autumn equinox, this semi-improvised sound piece uses a graph of the Wellington temperature history for 2023 as a rhythmic motif and a graphic score by correlating the linear points of data with tempo, pitch, and timbral variance; while the image of the sky in the two channel video is filmed by on the day of the performance.

The maunga (mountain) location, Moe-i-te-rā, (Brooklyn Hill) is a nesting spot for Kārearea (falcon). As the summit is exposed to the volatility of the Wellington wind, Riki has located himself inside one of the former World War II army bunkers on the side of the mountain, embraced in the warmth of Papatūānuku (Earth Mother) while playing to Ranginui (Sky Father). 

Visit the project on Te Tuhi's website here.

Riki Pirihi

Riki Neihana Pirihi (Ngāti Wai, Ngāti Māhanga Hourua) is a multi-instrumentalist, producer, composer, and sound artist, based in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Aotearoa. 

Riki has composed and conducted the big band ensemble Eru Dangerspiel and Tuone Conduction Ensemble, as well as performed and recorded alongside a diverse range of artists – Trinity Roots, Orchestra Of Spheres, Mara TK, Crowded House, Recloose, Leila Adu, Fat Freddys Drop, Seven Davis Jnr, Bic Runga, Connan Mockasin, and Jeff Henderson.

Commissioned by Te Tuhi and curated by Janine Randerson.

Part of the weather station: Te Moana Nui A Kiwa, Aotearoa (Great Ocean of Kiwa, New Zealand) - find out more here.