NZSO | Testimony (Auckland)
ConcertLilburn | Diversions for String Orchestra
Bruckner | String Quintet, Adagio
Rautavaara | Pelimannit
Tchaikovsky | Andante cantabile, TH63
Shostakovich | Chamber Symphony
Shostakovich’s Chamber Symphony is an arrangement of his Eighth String Quartet, written after he saw the aftermath of the apocalyptic 1945 bombing of Dresden. Though he dedicated the Quartet to “victims of fascism and war,” in his later memoir, Testimony, Shostakovich said that the Quartet actually described himself.
The Adagio of Bruckner’s String Quintet was lauded as “the pearl of the quintet […] one of the noblest, most enlightened, tenderest and most beautiful in sound.” Tchaikovsky’s Andante cantabile is similarly a movement from a string chamber work, which Tchaikovsky arranged for cello and string orchestra.
Rautavaara and Lilburn hail from opposite sides of the globe -- and you can tell from their music. Pelimannit is Rautavaara’s suite of fantasies on Finnish fiddle music, while Lilburn’s Diversions overflow with Lilburn’s love for the Kiwi countryside.
Additional performances:
Wellington (12 April)Nelson (13 April)
Napier (16 April)
Tauranga (18 April)
Hamilton (19 April)
NZSO | Tchaikovsky 5 (Auckland)
ConcertLeonie Holmes | I watched a shadow (World Premiere)
Richard Strauss | Don Quixote
Tchaikovsky | Symphony No. 5
NZSO Principal Cellist Andrew Joyce, Principal Violist Julia Joyce and conductor Han-Na Chang lead a concert of great romantics.
Korean conductor Han-Na Chang is “one of her generation’s most exciting conductors” (Lars Flydal, Vårtland), capable of making an orchestra “play in a way I did not know they were capable of” (Magnus Andersson, Klassekampe). A cello prodigy who won First Prize at the Rostropovich International Cello Competition at just 11 years old, she switched to conducting at 24 and has electrified audiences ever since. Who better to conduct a performance of Richard Strauss’s tone poem for cello and orchestra, Don Quixote? Principal Cellist Andrew Joyce steps into the spotlight to give voice to the love-mad protagonist of Cervantes’s novel.
We are delighted to premiere a new work by Kiwi composer Leonie Holmes, whose evocative style echoes the Impressionism of last century. We then conclude with a milestone work, Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony. The first movement’s implacable main theme, balanced by the horn’s irresistibly moving second movement melody, embodies the big bold emotions of the Romantic era.
Additional performances:
Wellington (18 May)
NZSO | Tchaikovsky 5 (Wellington)
ConcertLeonie Holmes | I watched a shadow (World Premiere)
Richard Strauss | Don Quixote
Tchaikovsky | Symphony No. 5
NZSO Principal Cellist Andrew Joyce, Principal Violist Julia Joyce and conductor Han-Na Chang lead a concert of great romantics.
Korean conductor Han-Na Chang is “one of her generation’s most exciting conductors” (Lars Flydal, Vårtland), capable of making an orchestra “play in a way I did not know they were capable of” (Magnus Andersson, Klassekampe). A cello prodigy who won First Prize at the Rostropovich International Cello Competition at just 11 years old, she switched to conducting at 24 and has electrified audiences ever since. Who better to conduct a performance of Richard Strauss’s tone poem for cello and orchestra, Don Quixote? Principal Cellist Andrew Joyce steps into the spotlight to give voice to the love-mad protagonist of Cervantes’s novel.
We are delighted to premiere a new work by Kiwi composer Leonie Holmes, whose evocative style echoes the Impressionism of last century. We then conclude with a milestone work, Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony. The first movement’s implacable main theme, balanced by the horn’s irresistibly moving second movement melody, embodies the big bold emotions of the Romantic era.
Additional performances:
Auckland (17 May)
Classical Guitar Recital
PerformanceBruce Paine will present a 30-40 minutes, Sunday afternoon performance of selected classical guitar solos, including works from his soon to be released new album.
Price : Adult $20 Senior/CGSA/Student $15
Cash at door or direct debit.
50 seats available, on a first-come, first-served basis.
Limited onsite and plenty of street parking near venue.
Includes cup of tea and treats after the concert.
Advance booking before 26 May recommended.
Bookings email concert2024@brucepaine.co.nz
NZSO | Jubilation (Wellington)
ConcertHenry Meng | Fanfare
Richard Strauss | Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme
Sai Natarajan | We Long For An Adventure
Shostakovich | Symphony No. 9
NZSO’s Music Director Emeritus James Judd is a familiar face to audiences after his eight year stint as the Orchestra’s Music Director. During that time, he lifted the Orchestra’s profile internationally, leading the NZSO on tours to Japan, Korea and Europe and conducting them in acclaimed recordings. He returns to conduct Strauss’s orchestral suite Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme, from the Seventeenth-century play about a man's attempts to appear as someone he is not, and the foolish reality of who he is. Its jolly atmosphere is well matched by Shostakovich’s Ninth Symphony. Though its iconic fourth-movement bassoon solo provides an oasis of deeply swelling anguish, overall, the Ninth is Shostakovich at his wittiest and most entertaining. Finally, Judd shows his characteristic generosity and support of Kiwi music by conducting two works by young Kiwi composers. Henry Meng and Sai Natarajan were both 2022/2023 TODD Composer Awards finalists, and their respective pieces are celebrations of both youth and the spirit of adventure.
Additional performances:
Blenheim (6 June)Invercargill (11 June)
Dunedin (13 June)
NZSO | Jubilation (Blenheim)
ConcertHenry Meng | Fanfare
Richard Strauss | Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme
Sai Natarajan | We Long For An Adventure
Shostakovich | Symphony No. 9
NZSO’s Music Director Emeritus James Judd is a familiar face to audiences after his eight year stint as the Orchestra’s Music Director. During that time, he lifted the Orchestra’s profile internationally, leading the NZSO on tours to Japan, Korea and Europe and conducting them in acclaimed recordings. He returns to conduct Strauss’s orchestral suite Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme, from the Seventeenth-century play about a man's attempts to appear as someone he is not, and the foolish reality of who he is. Its jolly atmosphere is well matched by Shostakovich’s Ninth Symphony. Though its iconic fourth-movement bassoon solo provides an oasis of deeply swelling anguish, overall, the Ninth is Shostakovich at his wittiest and most entertaining. Finally, Judd shows his characteristic generosity and support of Kiwi music by conducting two works by young Kiwi composers. Henry Meng and Sai Natarajan were both 2022/2023 TODD Composer Awards finalists, and their respective pieces are celebrations of both youth and the spirit of adventure.
Additional performances:
Wellington (30 May)Invercargill (11 June)
Dunedin (13 June)
NZSO | Jubilation (Invercargill)
ConcertHenry Meng | Fanfare
Richard Strauss | Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme
Sai Natarajan | We Long For An Adventure
Shostakovich | Symphony No. 9
NZSO’s Music Director Emeritus James Judd is a familiar face to audiences after his eight year stint as the Orchestra’s Music Director. During that time, he lifted the Orchestra’s profile internationally, leading the NZSO on tours to Japan, Korea and Europe and conducting them in acclaimed recordings. He returns to conduct Strauss’s orchestral suite Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme, from the Seventeenth-century play about a man's attempts to appear as someone he is not, and the foolish reality of who he is. Its jolly atmosphere is well matched by Shostakovich’s Ninth Symphony. Though its iconic fourth-movement bassoon solo provides an oasis of deeply swelling anguish, overall, the Ninth is Shostakovich at his wittiest and most entertaining. Finally, Judd shows his characteristic generosity and support of Kiwi music by conducting two works by young Kiwi composers. Henry Meng and Sai Natarajan were both 2022/2023 TODD Composer Awards finalists, and their respective pieces are celebrations of both youth and the spirit of adventure.
Additional performances:
Wellington (30 May)Blenheim (6 June)
Dunedin (13 June)
NZSO | Jubilation (Dunedin)
ConcertHenry Meng | Fanfare
Richard Strauss | Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme
Sai Natarajan | We Long For An Adventure
Shostakovich | Symphony No. 9
NZSO’s Music Director Emeritus James Judd is a familiar face to audiences after his eight year stint as the Orchestra’s Music Director. During that time, he lifted the Orchestra’s profile internationally, leading the NZSO on tours to Japan, Korea and Europe and conducting them in acclaimed recordings. He returns to conduct Strauss’s orchestral suite Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme, from the Seventeenth-century play about a man's attempts to appear as someone he is not, and the foolish reality of who he is. Its jolly atmosphere is well matched by Shostakovich’s Ninth Symphony. Though its iconic fourth-movement bassoon solo provides an oasis of deeply swelling anguish, overall, the Ninth is Shostakovich at his wittiest and most entertaining. Finally, Judd shows his characteristic generosity and support of Kiwi music by conducting two works by young Kiwi composers. Henry Meng and Sai Natarajan were both 2022/2023 TODD Composer Awards finalists, and their respective pieces are celebrations of both youth and the spirit of adventure.
Additional performances:
Wellington (30 May)Blenheim (6 June)
Invercargill (11 June)
NYO | Victory (Wellington)
ConcertJessie Leov | NYO Composer-in-Residence work
Khachaturian | Piano Concerto
Prokofiev | Symphony No. 5
Tianyi Lu is a Kiwi conductor on the rise. Her deep love for music is matched by her burgeoning career, from being a Dudamel Fellow with the LA Philharmonic to becoming the first Female Conductor-in-Residence for the Welsh National Opera. Lu will bring “her exquisite calligraphic musical pictorialism” (LA Times) to Prokofiev’s Fifth Symphony, Prokofiev’s “hymn to free and happy Man.”
We are pleased to introduce Shan Liu to more NZ audiences, following his success in the 2023 NZSO Young Artists’ Showcase. His already impressive resume belies his mere 13 years, having recently picked up first prizes in the Netherlands and Macao, and performing in Australia, Germany and the USA. He will perform Khachaturian’s Piano Concerto, the work that first introduced Khachaturian to Western audiences. We are also excited to premiere a work from another homegrown talent, Jessie Leov, the 2024 NYO Composer-in-Residence.
This year, we also celebrate the 25th year of the visionary support of Verna and the late Denis Adam through the Adam Foundation. This association has allowed generations of young New Zealanders to work with the finest musicians from here and overseas in a full-size symphony orchestra.
Additional performances:
Palmerston North (6 July)
NYO | Victory (Palmerston North)
ConcertJessie Leov | NYO Composer-in-Residence work
Khachaturian | Piano Concerto
Prokofiev | Symphony No. 5
Tianyi Lu is a Kiwi conductor on the rise. Her deep love for music is matched by her burgeoning career, from being a Dudamel Fellow with the LA Philharmonic to becoming the first Female Conductor-in-Residence for the Welsh National Opera. Lu will bring “her exquisite calligraphic musical pictorialism” (LA Times) to Prokofiev’s Fifth Symphony, Prokofiev’s “hymn to free and happy Man.”
We are pleased to introduce Shan Liu to more NZ audiences, following his success in the 2023 NZSO Young Artists’ Showcase. His already impressive resume belies his mere 13 years, having recently picked up first prizes in the Netherlands and Macao, and performing in Australia, Germany and the USA. He will perform Khachaturian’s Piano Concerto, the work that first introduced Khachaturian to Western audiences. We are also excited to premiere a work from another homegrown talent, Jessie Leov, the 2024 NYO Composer-in-Residence.
This year, we also celebrate the 25th year of the visionary support of Verna and the late Denis Adam through the Adam Foundation. This association has allowed generations of young New Zealanders to work with the finest musicians from here and overseas in a full-size symphony orchestra.
Additional performances:
Wellington (5 July)
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