What's your favourite piece of New Zealand music? A bunch of musically-minded Kiwis share their top tunes.
Photo: RNZ
Dame Hinewehi Mohi DNZM, musician and founder of Waiata Anthems
"One of the most iconic pieces of New Zealand music for me is the much loved waiata ‘Poi E’. Written by East Coast lyrical legend Ngoingoi Pewhairangi to a tune and a vision created by Dalvanius Prime, this song continues to resonate throughout Aotearoa an incredible four decades on from its inception. Beautiful representation of our unique cultural heritage that we can all share and be proud of."
Donald Armstrong, NZSO Associate Concertmaster
"I performed Douglas Lilburn's 'Allegro for Strings' many times years ago and recorded it with the NZ Chamber Orchestra. I was always impressed with the conciseness of the writing and the mixture of drama and spaciousness in the work. It somehow mirrors the New Zealand landscape, a huge sense of space but with jagged hills very close.
"Years later my brother, playwright Dave Armstrong, wrote a play called Rita and Douglas about the relationship between Rita Angus and Douglas Lilburn. It turned out in his research that Rita carried Douglas's child after a brief affair and there was a miscarriage. Their relationship was one of huge mutual respect and enduring friendship, however Douglas was struggling with his own sexuality. It is in this context, just after the miscarriage, that the 'Allegro for Strings' was written. What a story! And now when I listen to the piece I hear the tension, the tragedy and the sadness in the music, along with the beauty of the New Zealand landscape."
Evie Orpe, TAHI presenter
"Vera Ellen just released her second album with Flying Nun called Ideal Home Noise, and I genuinely think it’s one of our country's greatest albums. Timely yet timeless, it builds on the label's reputation for defining local music, and paving the way for future artists to explore new genres. I have to admit I am biased, because Vera is from Lower Hutt, like me, but I’m going to remember my life as before I heard Ideal Home Noise and after.
Alternative music doesn’t always pop off commercially the way it should, but Flying Nun’s longevity proves it’s an important and special part of our music culture. The fact the label is still surprising and impressing with every new artist and release, is proof enough."
Lance Savali, dancer, musician, DJ and host of Red Bull Dance Your Style
"My fave New Zealand song to listen to would probably have to be 'Glitter' by Benee. It's a banger! My favourite song to dance to is my own song, 'What Goes Up'."
So'omalo Iteni Schwalger, TAHI presenter
"LB's 2021 project, STRESS & PROGRESS, resonates with me on a higher plane of existence. LB, also being a proud Samoan alumni of Tāmaki Makaurau's North Shore, brings his unique delivery and creative expression to a fever pitch on this body of work. Sharing stories of family, politics, religion, substance abuse and so on - it's a gritty piece of art, but expresses an experience that is authentic to the diaspora.
One of the few albums I can recite word for word from back to front, it's a beautiful retelling of being young and Pasifika on the North Shore. I want LB to sign my sapelu."
Nick Bollinger, music journalist
"You won't find a more intrinsically New Zealand song than the glorious symphonic pop of 'Kron of Hastings' by Sven Olsen’s Brutal Canadian Love Saga, a Wellington-based ensemble. The song tells the story of a hapless tagger pursued by a relentless city council environmental officer. The story is true - at least up until the part when Kron appears in court for sentencing, when he is invited to tag the rest of the city, and a statue of a spray can is erected in his honour."
Brad Warrington, RNZ Studio Operator and DJ 'Sticky Fingers'
"I'll go with Breaks Co Op's 'Sound Advice', from their 1997 album Roofers. Sound Advice is pure trip hop goodness at its finest; dusty beat, great lyrical flow, and it captures the 90s sound effortlessly. Nostalgia personified!"
Nick Tipping, RNZ Concert presenter and musician
"My favourite would have to be Herbs - 'Sensitive to a Smile'. It's been my favourite since I was single digits. Just the vibe of the lyrics, and the guitar hook at the front, gets me every time."
David Gilling, NZSO Second Violin Sub-Principal Emeritus
"Ross Harris’ 'Music for Jonny' is a work for string orchestra that I treasure and remains so no matter how often I play it. The piece has an elegiac poignancy which captures grief and offers solace through a musical language unique to this composer, all in writing that is sonically beautiful and technically idiomatic. Music for Jonny was played by the NZSO on our return to the Christchurch Town Hall in 2019, and as an NZSO player who grew up in Christchurch I can think of no more fitting tribute to the resilience of the city and the fortitude of its citizens."
