Singer and composer Geneva AM and arranger and double bass player Eric Scholes talk about turning a waiata into a striking piece of classical chamber music.
When the bi-lingual singer and composer Geneva AM first began performing her waiata 'Toitū Te Tiriti' almost two years ago, it was an electronic song with a pulsing synth beat.
On 4 July she re-released it as a piece of classical chamber music, scored by her old friend, double bass player Eric Scholes.
The collaboration between Geneva AM - Geneva Alexander-Marsters (Ngāti Ruapani mai Waikaremoana, Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairoa) - and Scholes goes back to their teenage years.
Fresh out of their respective Auckland high schools they formed a band called the Rocking Rollercoasters, sporting bow ties and singing Beatles and Who covers.
Alexander-Marsters went on to front the electronic group SoccerPractise, while Scholes went down more of a classical road - but they kept in touch.
Geneva AM Photo: Ally Sua
When Alexander-Marsters wrote 'Toitū Te Tiriti' for herself to sing solo over an electronic arrangement which she created using the music software Garageband, she had a hunch it could become something more substantial.
After getting funding to make a full-length album, she turned to her old friend Scholes.
"I thought it would be really good to bring more human instrumentation in."
Scholes weighed up the possibilities. Something for brass, maybe full orchestra? In the end he opted for a string septet.
The pair speak with RNZ Concert's Bryan Crump after the launch of the new version of 'Toitū Te Tiriti' which features Alexander-Marsters on vocals, accompanied by the Ngā Whetu Ensemble (which includes Scholes on double bass).
Talking about the process of creating it, the singer says she "pretty much relinquished everything" to Scholes. He kept the chords, and much of the original rhythm, but the scoring is entirely for classical instruments.
Alexander-Marsters' lyrics talk about honouring the Te Tiriti O Waitangi, the Māori language and also remembering the mountains, rivers and iwi that people connect or whakapapa to.
The new version also has a strong Pākehā component, thanks to those classical instruments.
As for Scholes, he knew he'd got something right when he saw and heard Alexander-Marsters' reaction to the new version when they recorded it in June.
Eric Scholes Photo: Supplied
"I especially got fired up in the studio when I noticed the way that it influenced Geneva to sing when she went to actually record her voice over the string part. That was really powerful for me, because in the initial sketch it was quite nonchalant in a way, the way she sang it...so somehow, we managed to get fired up together."
'Toitū Te Tiriti' is part of an album Pikipiki which will be released next month.
Are there any other tracks with strings on the album?
"No," says Alexander-Marsters, "but I was thinking maybe in the future we could work on something else."
"What do you say, Eric?" Crump asks.
"Let's do it. I'm fired up."
