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Madama Butterfly: a triumph of singing, acting and design

Reviewed by John Daly-Peoples

Gaston Rivero (Pinkerton), Erika Grimaldi (Butterfly), Richard Šveda (Sharpless) Image Sav Schulman

Madama Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini

Producer & Stage Director Antony Ernst

ConductorGiordano Bellincampi

NZ Opera

Freemasons Foundation NZ Opera Chorus

Kiri te Kanawa Theatre, Aotea Centre, Auckland

July 25

Reviewed by John Daly-Peoples

The Auckland Philharmonia’s Opera in Concert production of Madama Butterfly was a triumph of singing, acting and design which was captivating in its elegance and emotional power. The opera is not just in the top ten of the all-time favourite operas it’s probably in the top three.

The story of Madam Butterfly takes place in Japan and follows the fate of Butterfly who is sold into marriage to US Navy Lieutenant Pinkerton, who considers the marriage to be a temporary affair not realising that Butterfly is deeply in love and has rejected her family and social dictates to be his wife. She bears him a son and waits for his return for three years, only to be devastated when he returns with his American wife and commits suicide.

Unlike many operas of the day, it was given a contemporary setting and was a comment on contemporary issues of culture, woman’s rights and cultural imperialism. So, it is not just a story of blighted love and human interaction, it also has political and social themes which were relevant then and they are still relevant today. One thread of the opera is that of the spread of American domination and the way in which the country embarks on foreign adventures without understanding the consequences of actions. An element of which is still relevant today as it was 125 years ago.

Much of the negative American perception of the world is voiced by Pinkerton himself, with even the local consul Sharpless warning of dire consequences.

What the opera delivers is a deeply tragic story in which all the participants except Butterfly are aware of the final outcome and we watch and endure her false happiness and a growing realisation of her fate.

Erika Grimaldi embodies the conflicting emotions of the opera. She was a refined and astute Butterfly with a voice soaked in tenderness and anguish. With her singing of “One fine day” she produced a perfect jewel of ecstatic beauty combining naive childlike simplicity with mature suffering, her face iridescent with feeling.

Suzuki (Elisabeth Jansson) and Erika Grimaldi (Butterfly) Image Sav Schulman

Central to the opera is the unease that runs through it and which is made obvious through the roles of the American Consul (sung by Richard Šveda) and Suzuki (sung by Elisabeth Jansson). These two characters act as a mini traditional chorus of Fates and their singing and demeanor are a comment and reflections on Butterfly.

Richard Šveda’s initially stiff, official voice takes on a more desolate tone as he has to bring news of Pinkerton to Butterfly. It is a voice which evokes personal anguish which he also conveys through his posture and acting.

Elisabeth Jansson created a vibrant, intense Suzuki who seemed to constantly endure the knowledge of Butterfly’s predicament. Her singing and actions reveal the distress and sorrow that is actually Butterfly’s, giving the role a realism and freshness with a voice full of restrained emotion.

Michael Petruccelli’s Goro was an effective foil to Suzuki with some fine comic acting while Pelham Andrews as The Bonze brought a dignity and fearsomeness to the part, giving his curse on Butterfly a real sense of foreboding.

Pinkerton, sung by Gaston Rivero was a superbly crafted bastard, with his pragmatism about the 999-year contracts for the house and marriage, is echoed in his slightly arrogant voice. However, he was also able to produce some emotionally charged singing when he needed to as his singing the love duet showed.

The set was wonderfully simple and achieved as much as many full scale productions. Three moveable screens which denote a room or house and also functioned as a screen for projection of images notably a star-lit sky in the nighttime scene as well as a focus for Butterfly’s suicide.

There are a couple of quibbles, but they are really the fault of the composer or librettist. Butterfly is supposed to be fifteen when she marries Pinkerton. This may have been intended to shock audiences of the time or convey the idea of strange oriental morality and it may even accord with contemporary practice, but it still jars.

Producer & Stage Director Antony Ernst and Conductor Giordano Bellincampi put together a finely detailed and nuanced production in which singing and acting was perfectly choreographed with the set providing an ideal physical and symbolic environment for the cast.

Cio-Cio-San Erika Grimaldi
PinkertonGaston Rivero
SharplessRichard Šveda
SuzukiElisabeth Jansson
GoroMichael PetruccelliThe BonzePelham Andrews
Kate PinkertonKatie Trigg
Prince YamadoriRobert Tucker

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The Royal New Zealand Ballet’s stylish Winter Season

Reviewed by John Daly-Peoplea

Birthday Offering – Mayu Tanigaito and Laurynas Vejalis Image: Stephen A’Court

Royal New Zealand Ballet

Winter Season

Aotea Centre

July 23 – 25.

Reviewed by John Daly-Peoples.

The Royal New Zealand Ballet’s Winter Season featured a triple bill featuring and two contemporary ballets, and the premiere of Sir Frederick Ashton’s more classical, Birthday Offering.

Ashton was the principal architect of the “English style” of classical ballet and choreographed Birthday Offering in 1956 for The Royal Ballet’s 25th anniversary, Birthday Offering. The ballet was originally a tribute to fourteen of its premiere dancers which included New Zealand ballet legend Dame Rowena Jackson along with Dame Margot Fonteyn.

Danced to Alexander Glazunov’s waltzing music the work demands perfection and precision and that is what the dancers delivered.

The seven female dancers each danced sequences which displayed their various talents and took inspiration from the Glazunov score. One of the dancers performed like a clockwork Coppelia, another gave a display of gentle, relaxed limbs while another presented a more romantic approach.

The seven dancers handled all the intricacies of the dance with a calm serenity, all using their body, arms and legs expressively.

Their displays presented what amounted to a primer of modern classical dance which they performed with technical virtuosity and panache.

When the female dancers partnered with their male partners both dancers became more animated and expressive but there was not the engaging emotionalism one might have seen later– not the sort of dancing seen between Fonteyn and Nureyev

There were some stylish vignettes, there was elegance and beauty, but it was too formal with a lack of heart.

This was simple ballet staged cleanly and stylishly in colourful mid-length gowns (Kenneth Rowell) that bounced along to the spritely footwork.

Ultra Folly – Jemima Scott and Kirby Selchow Image: Stephen A’Court

Sarah Foster-Sproull’s Ultra Folly opened with the dancers appearing to communicate with each other using their own form of semaphore in a homage to the choreographer Crystal Pite. Then, dancing to La Folie, music from the seventeenth century but played by Jordi Savilo and Hyperion XXI, they displayed a range of engaging dance routines with sharp moves and gesturers, mirroring the music and exploring the notion of communication.

Their dancing took inspiration from a range of sources varying from the courtly dance of the seventieth century to Highland dance while at other times their dancing evolved from the chance encounter on the street to the meeting of two lovers.

Then there were the more elaborate group interactions, the dancers appearing create hieroglyphics or an elaborate signing system and they became bound up in their intricate dance movements.

The almost tactile music was reflected in the dance at times as it morphed from the mechanical to the sensual.

Stand to Reason Image: Stephen A’Court

South African Andrea Schermoly’s Stand to Reason which was the more political of the three works took inspiration from the pamphlet “Ten Reasons Why A Woman Should Vote” written by Kate Shephard in 1888 in which women had to clearly convince, explain and justify their right to political participation.

The text of the pamphlet was projected onto a screen behind the all-female dance ensemble who were dressed in black tunics which referenced the women of Sparta, or the Amazons as well as a nod to the various black clad New Zealand sports teams.

The notion of the strong woman was also highlighted in the way that the dancers confronted the audience often fixed their gaze on us.

The dancers performed the roles of support and impetus normally taken by male dancers and while much of their movements had an aggressive quality with great physicality this was tempered by more subtle gestures.

In the final sequence of the work danced to the music of Beethoven the intensity of the dancing increased as the volume of the music increased with raw energy, breast beating and frenetic dancing. The dancers seemed to be struggling against unseen forces as they broke the bonds restraining them just as the sound system seemed close to imploding.

While the music by Johann Paul von Westhoff, Ludwig van Beethoven, and Marin Marais, drove the work, the choice of male composers seemed at odds with the feminist nature of the work.

In two of the works the lighting played a significant part with the surreal lighting of Daniel Wilson in Ultra Folly and the minimalist approach by Andrew Lees in Stand to Reason.

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NZSO’s concerts of Wagner and Finnish music

John Daly-Peoples

Simon O’Neill

New Zealand Symphony Orchestra

Radiance : Tannhauser & Parsifal

Wellington August 14, Auckland August 21

  Myths & Legends : Sibelius and Lindberg

Wellington Aug 15, Auckland August 22, Hamilton August 23

John Daly-Peoples

Two of the world’s leading interpreters of Richard Wagner return to New Zealand in August for a landmark NZSO concert series in Wellington, Auckland and Hamilton.

Finnish conductor Pietari Inkinen, one of today’s most accomplished Wagnerian conductors, will lead the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra in two distinct programmes, Radiance and Myths & Legends. Both will be performed in Wellington and Auckland, with Myths & Legends also travelling to Hamilton.

Joining Maestro Inkinen for Radiance is acclaimed New Zealand heldentenor Simon O’Neill , celebrated on the world’s great opera stages for his commanding interpretations of Wagner’s heroic tenor roles.

For the Nordic-inspired Myths & Legends, Maestro Inkinen and the orchestra will be joined by fellow Finn, violin virtuoso and NZSO Concertmaster Vesa-Matti Leppanen. .

The series brings together two powerful musical worlds: Wagner’s dramatic intensity, with excerpts from his epic operas Tannhäuser and Parsifal, and the vivid storytelling, mystery and orchestral brilliance of Finnish composers Jean Sibelius and Magnus Lindberg.

Wagner’s Tannhäuser and Parsifal are closely associated with O’Neill’s astounding international career and his long-standing artistic partnership with Maestro Inkinen. Their collaborations have included the acclaimed Father and Son: Wagner Scenes and Arias, recorded with the NZSO.

A regular guest at the Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, La Scala, Bayreuth, Salzburg and the BBC Proms, O’Neill brings to the NZSO a voice renowned for brilliance, stamina and dramatic presence.

Radiance also marks O’Neill’s 30-year association with the NZSO, which began in 1996 when he performed with the orchestra in the Mobil Song Quest. A decade later, his 2006 performance as Parsifal with the orchestra became a landmark moment in New Zealand opera, launching a rich collaboration that has included Wagner concerts, acclaimed recordings and major gala performances.

Maestro Inkinen’s return to the NZSO podium adds special significance to both programmes. His internationally recognised command of Wagner shapes the grandeur of Radiance, while his deep connection with Nordic repertoire brings vivid colour and momentum to Myths & Legends.

Myths & Legends places the spotlight on the elemental sound world of the north, with Leppänen as soloist in the New Zealand premiere of Magnus Lindberg’s Violin Concerto No. 2. The programme also features Sibelius’ evocative Pohjola’s Daughter and thrilling Lemminkäinen Suite, music rich in atmosphere, drama and mythic imagination.

The series also includes free community and whānau-friendly daytime events in Wellington and Auckland on 15 and 22 August, respectively.

Tamariki Time, created for tamariki aged 3–7 and their families, offers an interactive introduction to orchestral music with NZSO Animateur Chris Lam Sam and members of the NZSO National Youth Orchestra.

Relaxed performances of Tamariki Time, designed in partnership with Autism NZ, provide a welcoming environment for neurodivergent children, their families and anyone who prefers a more relaxed concert experience. The performances include a flexible approach to noise and movement, minimal lighting effects, chill-out spaces and the option of NZ Sign Language applause.

Audiences can also take part in Orchestra Jam, an informal play-along session for orchestral instrumentalists of all ages, supported by NZSO musicians and featuring accessible repertoire from A Minecraft Movie, Wicked and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7.

In Wellington and Auckland, the NZSO Foundation will present masterclasses for aspiring musicians, offering the chance to observe emerging performers working with NZSO musicians: Principal Bass Clarinet Romola Smith, Associate Principal David Johnson and Section Principal Percussion Leonard Sakofsky .

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et al. the fundamental practice coming to the Auckland Art Gallery

et al Installation view: 51st Venice Biennale, 2005. Image credit: et al., the fundamental practice, 2005. Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, purchased with support of the Patrons of the Auckland Art Gallery, 2008. Photograph by Jennifer French.

John Daly-Peoples

et al. the fundamental practice

Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki

Opening 8 August 2026.

Next month the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki will present et al.’s major installation “the fundamental practice” from 8 August 2026, marking the first time the work has been displayed in its entirety in Aotearoa New Zealand.

First exhibited as New Zealand’s official presentation at the 2005 Venice Biennale, the multisensory installation combines five moving ‘autonomous systems’ with computer-generated voices and sounds in a dystopian orchestra. The work forms a layered exploration of belief systems, extremism and its influence on individual freedom and collective life.

Tātaki Auckland Unlimited Director of Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, Dr Zara Stanhope says the exhibition provides visitors the opportunity to experience a major work in New Zealand contemporary art history. “the fundamental practice is one of the Gallery’s most significant large-scale collection works. While it became the focus of significant public debate when it was first presented at Venice, many New Zealanders have never had the opportunity to see the work in person, and experience the way it raises curiosity about the ways we understand the world that we live in.”

The artists et al. say the work raises questions about how we navigate the ongoing and intensifying stream of information and media that shapes our lives today: “Can we as humanity endeavor to establish a point of equanimity within the diverse and often oppositional streams of thought we encounter on a daily basis?” and in this landscape, “What truths provide fulfilling meanings to us as a global collective?”

Auckland Art Gallery Senior Curator, Global Contemporary Art Natasha Conland, who curated the work’s original presentation at the Venice Biennale, says the fundamental practice feels more relevant today than it did when it was first shown twenty years ago. New Zealand’s 2005 Venice Biennale presentation to be shown in Aotearoa for the first time

“The work resonates today in a world shaped by widening social divisions, rapidly changing technologies and increasingly fixed belief systems. In this context, the fundamental practice shares diverse perspectives and potential futures, set amongst outmoded machinery. Far from pessimistic, the experience of the work is in many ways speculative and poetic.”

Et al. is among Aotearoa New Zealand’s most celebrated installation artists. Winner of New Zealand’s leading contemporary art award, the 2004 Walters Prize, et al. was the focus of a major retrospective in Melbourne in 2024 and is one of only two New Zealand artists to have exhibited at Art Basel’s prestigious Art Unlimited. The pseudonym “et al.”, meaning “and others”, was adopted in 2000 to acknowledge a range of collaborators and to challenge conventional ideas of  authorship and artistic identity.

A 2005 National Business Review of the et installation will be published shortly at http://www.nzartsreview.org

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The dynamic energy of violinist Benjamin Beilman playing Mendelelsshon

Reviewed John Daly-Peoples

Image Sav Schulman

Mendelssohn’s Violin

Auckland Philharmonia

Conductor Giordano Bellincampi
Violinist, Benjamin Beilman

Auckland Town Hall

July 16

Reviewed by John Daly-Peoples

The major work on the programme was Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto, a w ork that he had spent nearly ten years writing. While he adhered to the classical style of Beethoven, he also introduced much of the romantic ethos which leads on to the music of Brahms. In several ways he broke with tradition such as having the violin make an instant introduction to the work. Then there is no break between the first and second movements, with a bassoon note held between the two sections and the work also calls on the soloist to function as an accompanist to the orchestra for extended periods.

Benjamin Beilman opened the turbulent first movement with a relentless vigour responding urgently to the orchestra and conductor. At times his playing was raw, almost visceral revealing the passionate aspect of the work while at other times he exposed the delicate and sensual elements of the music with his playing being little more than a whisper.

He seemed very much in control tackling the work with lively self-confidence, even the passages which Mendelssohn must have written to technically challenge the performer were effortlessly disposed of.

The dynamic energy he put into the playing showed that he not only had an understanding of the technical aspects of the works but also an appreciation of the works emotional impact.

In the second movement with its restful mood there were passages where he was dominated by the orchestra as though sinking under the weight of the music, but this changed when his playing erupted, cutting through the sounds of the orchestra with an insistent voice

In the third movement in which many of the motifs of the first movement were restated he displayed a playful jousting engagement with the orchestra in a very physical manner.

Throughout he managed to conjure up some graceful, unforced tones with crisp articulation heightening the romantic sweep of the music, discovering the emotional depths of the music.

In the more lyrical passages, he seemed to dance with the joy of the work while in the final celebratory section his playing became feverish as he skirmished with the orchestra.

For his encore Beilman played the J.S. Bach Violin Partita No. 3 in E major,with a joyous, and uplifting approach to the dance-inspired work.

Beethoven’s Symphony No. 2 in D major, is an intriguing transitional work which he composed in 1802, when he was having to confront his looming deafness. Even though this may have been something which dominated his life with the symphony is optimistic and lively.

Throughout the work one got a sense of the composer experimenting with contracts and drama and there are hints of his later symphonic works which the conductor, Giordano Bellincampi revealed. While the much of the work displayed the impact of Haydn on his composing, it was the innovative and novelty of the composer which shone through.

The opening work for the programme was Schubert’s overtures “in the Italian style” composed in 1817 when “Rossini fever” was sweeping through Vienna. The work is full of effervescent energy, and charming melodies, as the composer paid homage the Iight-hearted Italian operatic style.

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From Scratch: Songs for Unsung Heroes

Reviewed by John Daly-Peoples

From Scratch: Songs for Unsung Heroes

A film by John Pain

Academy Cinema

July 24 7.00pm (one night only)

Reviewed by John Daly-Peoples

From Scratch: Songs for Unsung Heroes is a new film of From Scratch performing at St Davids church in Auckland earlier this year produced, directed and edited by John Pain.

The film also includes two shorter works from the same event of the ensemble accompanying video art from two of Aotearoa’s leading practitioners; Black Moon by Teresa Peters, and Metroplex II by Gregory Bennett.

The five members of From Scratch (Phil Dadson, Adian Croucher, Shane Curry, Darryn Harkness and Chris O’Conner) play their assorted instruments ranging from standard musical instruments such as the melodia (keyboard harmonica) used by Phil Dadson to the hand-crafted instruments like the PVC piping which have been central to the group’s activities.

The instruments produce a range of percussive sounds, which help create a sonic ambience somewhere between the primitive and the highly sophisticated.

The words of Songs for Unsung Heroes are sung in a monotone and at a pace determined by the players. The low sounds of the song are not clear but fit well within the ambience created by the musicians like a musical drone adding to the mystery and power of the work.

“Let us sing for unsung heroes, Those who lay their dreams aside. Sing a song for unsung heroes, Sing from sea to shining sea. Sing the song of liberty.”

The enjoyment and novelty of a From Scratch performance is from the seemingly uncoordinated waves and ripples of sounds which are created by the group who appear to concentrate on their individual instruments, but they are in fact intricately linked, their individual sounds and rhythms merging and diverging in surprising and innovative ways.

At times each of the players seems to be in a trance-like state focussed on their own individual instrument but through their performance are producing a soundscape which contributes to a breathing and heaving structure.

The endless variety of sounds, rhythms and movements has its visual equivalent in the two films which make use of Gregory Bennet’s animated films which explore a synthetic world, using high-end 3D animation. These endless parades of figures performing within an Escher- like environment, morphing into various patterns and creating weird environments mirrors the sounds of the music.

Songs for Unsung Heroes is focused on the performers as much as their playing. Their concentration seems to suggest that their focus is on inner linked patterns and rhythmic fields.

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“La Mer”, the impressionist sounds of the National Youth Orchestra

Reviewed by John Daly-Peoples

Coucher de soleil à Pourville, pleine mer (1882) Claude Monet

National Youth Orchestra

NYO La Mer

Conductor, Dane Lam

Auckland Town Hall

July 4

Reviewed by John Daly-Peoples

The NZSO National Youth Orchestra’s concert “La Mer” was a celebration of the sea with four works, spanning two centuries exploring various aspects of the sea – descriptive, psychological and historical

The orchestra was led by the Australian-Chinese conductor Dane Lam the recently appointed Music Director of the Hawai’i Symphony Orchestra and Artistic Director of State Opera South Australia.

As Lam noted in his introduction to the concert these young musicians were the future of New Zealand music playing music of our time including music of New Zealand itself

They opened the concert with a new New Zealand work which spoke of the sea and the country’s connection with it.

Jack Bewley’s “Pray for the wanderer” is, as the composer says, “an ode to the courage it takes to … travel vast distances to our country”.

The opening drum roll which heralded thunder was followed by some glorious music from the orchestra reflecting the wonder and mystery of the sea voyage. The blare of the brass and the hectic percussion with some great surging sounds explored the movement of the sea as well as the movement of those who journeyed across the oceans.

The second work on the programme was one of the great atmospheric works – Four Sea Interludes by Benjamin Britten from his opera “Peter Grinmes” written in 1945. Grimes, afisherman in a small coastal town, is accused of mistreating his apprentice, who has died under mysterious circumstances at sea. He is a temperamental outcast, alienated from the local people with the moody music reflecting his character. Britten also depicts the nature of the weather and the sea as active elements in the story leading to the death of Grimes.

The opening section “Dawn”consisting of a high-pitched, desolate sound which is threaded though the swells of the sea as well as the early morning calm provided a sinister quality to the work. This was followed by “Sunday Morning” where the orchestra produced glittering sounds which described the sunshine and the sounds of sea birds.  We also heard the cacophony of church bells, referencing happier times of the village which also contrasts with the darker sounds of the work.  

The impressionist “Moonlight” movementhad some pulsating sounds which were both sounds of the sea and the heavy breathing of Grimes suggested an unease beneath the swell of the sea and the surface of the village

The final movement “Storm” featured aggressive percussion and brass describing the mummering and heaving of the sea which became more thunderous, eventually exploding in raging storm sequence which hints at the fury of both the weather and the fury of the villagers.

After the interval they played Michael-Thomas Foumai’s Kealaikahiki Suite which recounts the 1976 maiden voyage of Hōkūleʻa, a replica of an ancient Polynesian voyaging canoe to Tahiti as well as honouring the master navigator Mau Piailug. 

The work was cinematic in scale in which the sea and activities merge, occasionally recalling the music of Douglas Lilburn’s “Landfall in Unknown Seas”.

The rousing music suggested the thrill of the sea and voyaging and the sense of adventure and the activities of the seafarers. There were other sequences which conveyed the majesty and breadth of the sea with some superb musicianship.

The final robust sequence sounded like a theme from an Indianna Jones movie leading to another energetic depiction of the sea

Much of Debussy’s music can be considered impressionist because it reflects the same goals of Impressionist artists such as Claude Monet and Paul Cezanne. Rather than using the structural elements of traditional classical music, he focused on evoking mood and atmosphere.

He avoided calling “La Mer” a symphony but rather giving it the subtitle of Three Symphonic Sketches. These three sketches are impressions of the sea in its various mood and colours in much the same way that the Impressionist painters conveyed their reactions to nature and its landscapes or seascapes

One of Debussy’s favourite artists apart from the Impressionist was the English artist J.M.W. Turner whom he admired for the way in which he dealt with light and hazy landscape depictions as well as the drama of light and shade.

With the first movement, “De l’aube à midi sur la mer” the orchestra conveyedthe sense of the seas awakening with voluptuous waves of sound. The various sections of the orchestra took on the variety of colours and textures of the sea, swelling and receding. The music captured the physicality of the sea, much as the way the artists used dashes and strokes of paint, Debussy used short, jazzy-like sequences of sound.

This was followed by “Jeux de vagues” with lively playing producing a wide range of loosely connected sounds, like a myriad of splashes depicting the changeable motion and moods of the sea

With the final “Dialogue du vent et de la mer” the orchestra created a   dialogue between the wind and the turbulent sea with dramatic contrasts between the surging orchestral sounds. Here the orchestra had a sequence of meditation followed by a final surge of muscular sounds.

The orchestra showed in this concert that it has the musical talent and a depth of understanding of the music which will see a great future for some individual musicians as well as New Zealand orchestras.

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Mt Eden Chamber Music Festival 2026

John Daly-Peoples

2025 Beethoven quartet – Simeon Broom, Jessica Oddie, Gillian Ansell, Ken Ichinose

Mt Eden Chamber Music Festival

Eden Arts

Mt Eden Village Centre Church

July 2 – 5

Reviewed by John Daly-Peoples

Now in its tenth year the Mt Eden Chamber Music Festival organised by the local community arts group, Eden Arts has presented high quality performances by some of the country’ s leading musical groups and major talent including NZ Trio and NZ Barok.

These concerts have been programmed by Simeon Broom, the Festival’s Artistic Director who is a violinist with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and Cathy Manning of Eden Arts.

 CONCERT 1 – THURSDAY 2 JULY 7pm

Dedicated to Mary O’Brien

Boccherini – Cello Quintet in D minor Op.25 & Schubert – Cello Quintet D.956

Featuring violinists Simeon Broom and Jessica Oddie

The Boccherini Cello Quintet in D minor, Op. 25, No. 1 is a supreme example of the galante classical style. It opens with an expressive slow opening with a stately, almost operatic feel and some virtuosic play.

There is also a graceful minuet that embodies the courtly elegance of the era, paired with a contrasting trio section. And finishes with a spirited, dance-like conclusion.

The Schubert – Cello Quintet is regarded as one of the absolute pinnacles of chamber music. Completed in 1828 just two months before the composer’s death. It is the composers only full-fledged string quintet and has been called “sublime” and “extraordinary” been said to possess “bottomless pathos”, and is generally regarded as Schubert’s finest chamber work as well as one of the greatest compositions in all chamber music. 

 CONCERT 2 – FRIDAY 3 JULY 7pm

Alyssa Morris – The Big Questions (2024)

Charles Loeffler – Deux Rhapsodies (1901)

Janet Jennings – Five Emotional States (2025)

TRIO OBSCURA

Trio Obscura – Robert Ashworth, Sarah Watkins and Bede Hanley (trio so-named because very little has been written for oboe, viola and piano).

Bede Hanley, Robert Ashworth and Sarah Walkins

TRIO OBSCURA’s name was inspired by the somewhat unusual combination of instruments that comprise the ensemble: as it turns out, very little has been written for oboe, viola, and piano. Five Emotional States was written especially for TRIO OBSCURA’s 2026 In Partnership Series tour for Chamber Music New Zealand.

Alyssa Morris’s “The Big Questions” is a poignant reflection on the uncertainties of our time. Morris’s virtuosic writing and characteristic wit are ever-present, yet at its heart lies a search for peace and understanding.

Written a century earlier, Charles Loeffler’s “Deux Rhapsodies” are richly coloured and dramatic tone poems that capture the atmosphere and imagination of French Impressionism.

Janet Jennings’ “Five Emotional States” is intended to be fun to play and entertaining for audiences, with its quixotic changes of mood, and journeys between atonality and downright tunefulness.

 CONCERT 3 – SATURDAY 4 JULY 5pm

Remembering Katherine Austin

Bach – E major Partita for solo violin

Schumann – Fantasiestücke Opus 73 for cello and piano

Prokofiev – Piano Sonata No.3 in A minor, Opus 28

Rachmaninov – Vocalise Opus 34 No.14

Dvorak – Piano Quintet No. 2 in A major, Opus 81 (1st mvmt)

A Garland for Katherine (2025)

(KATHERINE AUSTIN)

Andrew Leithwick – a little bit a bit

Helen Bowater – Ludwig, Katherine and me

Janet Jennings – Expressivo

Michael Williams – Effervescence

Peter Scholes – A Shining Star

Gillian Whitehead – S

Known for its joyful character Johann Sebastian Bach’s Partita No. 3 in E major for Solo Violin, composed in 1720, is the final work in his famous Sei Solo collection.

Robert Schumann’s Fantasiestücke originally composed in 1849 for clarinet and piano, is a staple of the cello repertoire. This three-movement cycle—highly lyrical, contrasting, and continuous in spirit—is widely celebrated for its warm, intimate dialogue between the two instruments.

Prokofiev’s Piano Sonata No. 3 in A minor of 1917 was composed for solo piano, using sketches dating from 1907. It is one of the shortest but most technically demanding pieces in the piano repertoire. Written in a single, continuous movement, the work is a compressed tour de force that flawlessly balances aggressive, mechanical rhythms with profoundly lyrical and romantic interludes.

Rachmaninov’s “Vocalise” is a song written for high voice and piano accompaniment. It contains no words, being sung using only one vowel of the singer’s choosing but is performed in various instrumental arrangements more frequently than in the original vocal version.

Antonín Dvořák’s Piano Quintet No. 2 in A major, Op. 81 (1887) is a pillar of the chamber music repertoire. The first movement (Allegro, ma non tanto) is celebrated for its warm, lyrical melodies and expressive shifts between melancholic folk influences and bright, romantic passion.

 CONCERT 4 – SUNDAY 5 JULY 3pm

Ravel – Sonata for Violin & Cello

Beethoven – Eyeglass Duo for Viola & Cello

Dohnányi – String Trio Op.10

Maurice Ravel’s Sonata for Violin and Cello (1920–1922) is a lean, masterfully challenging chamber piece dedicated to the memory of Claude Debussy. Spanning four movements, the work strips away harmonic padding to pit the two instruments against one another in a brilliant, virtuosic, and contrapuntal display

Beethoven – Eyeglass Duo for Viola & Cello refers to two performers who wear glasses. It is unclear who else the short-sighted violist Beethoven might have been referring to other besides himself. Perhaps it is his friend Zmeskall. In any case, it must have been an accomplished musician, as the cello part is demanding throughout.

Serenade for String Trio in C major, Op. 10 (1902) by Hungarian composer Ernő Dohnányi is a masterpiece of the chamber music repertoire. Celebrated for its rich textures, virtuosic demands, and lyrical warmth, the five-movement suite beautifully balances late-Romantic spirit with dynamic, modern twists.

2025 Beethoven quartet – Simeon Broom, Jessica Oddie, Gillian Ansell, Ken Ichinose

Trio Obscura – Bede Hanley, Robert Ashworth, Sarah Watkins (trio so-named because very little has been written for oboe, viola and piano).

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Reviews, News and Commentary

Sons of Vao: a brilliantly crafted tour de force

Reviewed by John Daly-Peoples

Beulah Koale (as Vao), Haanz Fa’avae-Jackson (To), Epine Bob Savea (Seki), and Brett Taefu (Sau)

Sons of Vao by Vela Manusaute

Director, Anapela Polata’ivao

Auckland Theatre Company

ASB Waterfront Theatre

Until July 5th

Reviewed by John Daly-Peoples

Whenever I see that a play is about families I am reminded of Leo Tolstoy’s quote about families from the opening of his 1877 novel, Anna Karenina: “All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”

With his new play Sons of Vao, Vela Manusaute has created a brilliantly crafted tour de force about an unhappy family plagued an endless variety of unique conflicts, flaws, and dysfunctions.

The play follows of the family of Vao and his three sons and is essentially an autobiographical account of the playwright’s own relationship with his father. As he says in notes to the play,” My relationship with my father was fraught with difficulty. Through a child’s eyes, I perceived only struggle and pain, unable to comprehend the love of the man who brought me into this world.

The play revolves around Vao, the Samoan patriarch of a Niuean / Samoan family living on Niue. He takes his child rearing seriously, every misdemeanour is punished and each recipient of the punishment learns that they must never cry or show signs of weakness. This family violence is intended to create masculinity and strength; it actually leads to lifelong trauma.

In many ways this isn’t just about the family of Vao but an exploration of the survival mechanisms that many Pasifika people, both individually and collectively have had to resort to – accepting the word of the father, agreeing to the conservative notions of the village and following the dictates of the missionaries. The ambivalence that has been created has led to dysfunctional individuals and groups.

Director Anapela Polata’ivao explores the psychological and physical trauma and its impact on the individual with a mixture of bleakness and humour.

The all-male Pacific cast of Beulah Koale (as Vao), Haanz Fa’avae-Jackson (To), Epine Bob Savea (Seki), and Brett Taefu (Sau) initially seemed unconfirmable in their roles but quickly inhabited their characters with a distinctive Pacific quality.

Leading the cast Haanz Fa’avae-Jackson as To gave an emotional account of the son filled with hatred for his father who tentatively negotiates his way through life, ultimately striving for forgiveness.

Brett Taefu as the youngest son Sau plays an almost innocent young man whose world is dominated by the Roman legionnaires and cowboys he sees at the local cinema while Epine Bob Savea as Seki expresses the struggle between the traditional and the new.

As Vao, Beulah Koale gives a superb account of a true patriarch, completely sure of his beliefs and his approach to family but without reflection on his impact on the lives of others.

The interplay between the actors results in witty and insightful dialogue, some carefully staged action as well as clever song and dance moves.

For a play dealing with the dark side of life and the pain of growing up in an oppressive family and society writer and director have created an environment which uses an astute balance of angst and humour to negotiate the issues.

The play starts in the1970’s with the birth of the sons and traces their lives over the next forty years along with their arrival in New Zealand, their journey paralleling the journey that many Pasifika families make as well as their adaptation to life in a new country.

The father / son relationship is one which will resonate with many, not just the in addressing issues around family violence but also the clash of ideas and attitudes.

The minimal set design dominated by a constellation of stars is a nice metaphor for negotiating the distance travelled by Manusaute and all those who have travelled to New Zealand.

The opening and closing vignettes of the play feature a large white sheet which is passed over the stage is a clever way of framing the play as the revealing and capturing the memories of a family’s history.

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Reviews, News and Commentary

The Michael Hill International Violin Competition Grand Finale

Reviewed by John Daly-Peoples

Beatrice Colombis

The Michael Hill International Violin Competition Grand Finale

With the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra

Auckland Town Hall

April 6th

Reviewed by John Daly-Peoples

The Michael Hill International Violin Competition saw Beatrice Colombis Italy / Australia) winning the ultimate prize which includes $40,000, a recording on the Atoll Label, a tour with Chamber Music NZ and the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra and a Michael Hill pendant.

For the final concert two of the competitors Tianyou Ma (China) and Jakow Pavlenko (Ukraine / Germany) played the Sibelius Violin Concerto while Beatrice Colombis played the Shostakovich Violin Concerto in A minor. Conductor Alan Buribayev  lead the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra as they accompanied the three competitors.

Tianyou Ma took a very studious approach to the music, his face revealing a range of suppressed emotions which were also revealed in his playing techniques – from savage attacks to gentle stroking of his instrument.

With his measured playing this was a personal and thoughtful account, revealing the composer’s clever approach to the composition as well as the intricacies of the works construction.

Jakow Pavlenko’s playing had instant appeal with his showmanship being seen in his startling solo displays which were filled with intensity and bravura.

At all times he was aware of the conductor and orchestra, creating a palpable knot of energy.

With the more romantic second movement his expressive face bloomed with an appreciation and awareness of the sublime feelings being expressed through the music.

In the third movement body and bow responded with a tumultuous series of interactions between violin and orchestra, his instrument seeming to lead the orchestra on their demanding forays.

The Shostakovich Violin Concerto in A minor was written in the aftermath of The Great Patriotic War and at a time of official repression of expressive music. Beatrice Colombis’s playing expressed the horrors of the war and the despair of the post-war period as well as the composer’s depression.

Resplendent in her blue gown she seemed to be impelled by the encroaching sounds of the orchestra into an almost meditative state.

Her dominant voice sometimes gave way to other orchestral instruments, such as the harp which displayed their inventiveness but ultimately she emerged from intensity of the music, playing as though from a reverie.

The playful second movement saw her performing with more exuberance and expressive dynamism, relishing the orchestra’s onslaught, displaying some sumptuous and extravagant bowing as she led the orchestra on a savage ride.

The deathly knock of the orchestra at opening of the third movement was followed by her more confident and animated playing where each of the sections was explored with focused intensity. This was not so much a meditation but an exploration of the composer’s contemplation of the music itself.

All this was achieved with a gentle exploration of the mercurial tones of the violin which seemed to take on a life of their own compelling her to produce a final, dynamic dance of death.

Full Prize List

First prize

Beatrice Colombis, 22, who received a cash prize of $40,000, an opportunity to make a recording on the Atoll Label, a personalised professional development programme, a Michael Hill gold and diamond pendant, and a tour with Chamber Music New Zealand and the Auckland Philharmonia in 2027.

Colombis also won the $1,000 prize for the best performance of the commissioned work, Chasm by Salina Fisher, the Sheila Smith prize of a three-year loan of a Domenico Montagnana violin, facilitated by Rare Violins of New York’s In Consortium platform, and the audience prize.

The second prize of $10,000 was won by Chinese violinist Tianyou Ma and the third prize of $5,000 by German–Ukrainian violinist Jakow Pavlenko. Pavlenko also won the $1,000 chamber music prize, following his performance in the semi-final round.

The fourth prize of $4,000 went to South Korean violinist Hyein Koo, the fifth prize of $3,000 to Chinese violinist Julia-Xiaohuo Wang, and the sixth prize of $2,000 to Chinese violinist Xunyue Zhang.