Tag: classical-music

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Auckland Philharmonia 2027 Season

John Daly-Peoples

Giordano Bellincampi and Auckland Philharmonia, 2024 Opera in Concert production of Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde in the Auckland Town Hall. Photography by Sav Schulman.

Auckland Philharmonia 2027 Season

John Daly-Peoples

The Auckland Philharmonia has announced its 2027 Season along with the announcement that it will be Giordano Bellincampi’s 12th and final year as its Music Director.

Diana Weir, Auckland Philharmonia’s Chief Executive says of the season “There are so many highlights to look forward to in this upcoming season; from Mahler’s serene Symphony No.4 and Stravinsky’s exhilarating The Rite of Spring to a complete Beethoven piano concerto cycle, and two Opera in Concert performances of Puccini’s sublime Tosca. It’s also very exciting to be the exclusive New Zealand orchestra presenting Star Wars: A New Hope in Concert in 2027, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the original 1977 movie.”

Major international artists making their New Zealand debuts in 2027 include virtuoso pianist Nikolai Lugansky, cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras and conductors Anna Sułkowska-Migoń and Katharina Wincor. They are joined by pianist Paul Lewis and violinist Simone Lamsma, who make their Auckland Philharmonia debuts. Long-time friends of the Auckland Phil — violinist James Ehnes and pianists Alexander Gavrylyuk and Javier Perianes — make welcome returns in 2027, along with conductors Elena Schwarz, Samy Rachid and Pierre Bleuse, and violinist Chloe Chua.

Spectacular special events add extra star-power to this season, headlined by a 50th anniversary New Zealand exclusive screening of the multi-generational cinematic classic Star Wars: A New Hope in Concert, with John Williams’ original score performed live by the Auckland Phil. A blockbuster evening of Joe Hisaishi’s film scores hosted by popular podcasters Art of the Score, and Kāpiti Ice Cream presents Mānawatia a Matariki, an unmissable evening of waiata reo Māori and musical collaboration to celebrate the Māori new year, also join this sparkling line-up.

The 2027 season will culminate with a magnificent two-week BrahmsFest conducted by Bellincampi, one of the world’s leading Brahms interpreters.

Giordano Bellincampi says, “It has been a pleasure to be Auckland Philharmonia’s Music Director and throughout my final season in this role I’m delighted to share with you some marvellous music from many of my favourite composers. Opening with Beethoven’s ‘Eroica’ Symphony, followed by Nielsen’s mighty Fourth Symphony, through to the BrahmsFest in November, featuring all four Brahms symphonies, both piano concerti and his Violin Concerto, with Alexander Gavrylyuk and James Ehnes joining us as soloists.

“We will share with you many more wonderful masterpieces along our way, including a programme of Mahler’s Fourth Symphony paired with magnificent works by Schubert that feature exciting Kiwi-Danish soprano Louise McClelland Jacobsen, Mendelssohn’s Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage and sublime fourth symphonies from both Schumann and Bruckner.

Nikolai Lugansky, photo by Marco Borggreve.

“A pinnacle of the programme will be Nikolai Lugansky playing Rach 2, along with a complete Beethoven piano concerto cycle featuring renowned pianist Javier Perianes as soloist and director. It’s also wonderful to have Australian pianist Andrea Lam returning to perform the Auckland premiere of R. Strauss’ spirited Burleske and violinist Inmo Yang playing Bruch.

“A special highlight for me will be a concert in August featuring our brilliant Principal Flute, Melanie Lançon, performing Nielsen’s Flute Concerto, alongside two magnificent works — Mozart’s Symphony No.32 and Schubert’s Ninth Symphony ‘The Great’.”

The 12 concerts in the NZ Herald Premier Series The New Zealand Herald Premier Series will feature composers including Brahms, Nielsen, Schubert, Mozart, Schumann, Strauss, Bruckner, Ives, Mendelssohn and Mahler.

New Zealand talent will include the premiere of Salina Fisher’s new violin concerto written for Geneva Lewis, who features as soloist in this performance, this piece is a co-commission by Auckland Philharmonia, the Bortletti-Buitoni Trust and BBC Radio 3. In 2027, the orchestra also performs Auckland premieres of works from fellow New Zealand composers Lilburn and Gao Ping.

The concerts will feature  some of the world’s most important artists such Nikolai Lugansky who has been hailed as ‘the most trailblazing and meteoric performer of all’ he will perform Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No.2.

The British pianist Paul Lewis, makes his Auckland Philharmonia debut in 2027 playing Mozart’s Piano Concerto No.23. Two exciting rising conductors will make their debuts -Anna Sułkowska-Migoń, the 2022 winner of La Maestra conducting competition, and Hungarian conductor Gábor Káli who will lead the orchestra with a programme of works by Enescu, Glazunov, Beethoven and Kodály.

Simone Lamsma, photo by Otto van den Toorn.

Outstanding artists returning in 2027 include conductors Pierre Bleuse, Elena Schwarz and Samy Rachid, pianists Alexander Gavrylyuk, Andrea Lam and Kiwi Sylvia Jiang, violinist Chloe Chua, and Auckland Phil’s own Principal Flute, Melanie Lançon, who steps forward as soloist.

The 2027 Classic Series features six concerts of best-loved masterpieces, including a special all-Beethoven double bill to commemorate the 200th anniversary of his death. The superb Spanish pianist Javier Perianes returns to the Auckland Philharmonia to play Beethoven’s five piano concertos as this great composer intended, directing from the keyboard.

Mahler’s Fourth Symphony is a splendid opener for the series in February, one of this great composer’s most popular works, led by master interpreter Giordano Bellincampi. This is paired with some wonderful Lieder by Schubert featuring Kiwi soprano Louise McClelland Jacobsen, who makes her Australasian debut in the dreamy Night and Dreams (Nacht und Träume) and the Auckland premiere of The Trout (Die Forelle).

In 2027, rising violin player Inmo Yang returns to play Bruch’s delightful Violin Concerto No.1, led by Giordano Bellincampi, alongside Schumann’s Fourth Symphony.  Another highlight includes sensational cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras’ New Zealand debut in Prokofiev’s Sinfonia concertante, conducted by Katharina Wincor, who also makes her Aotearoa debut.

Lovers of Baroque music will appreciate the new Simply Baroque, two concerts held in June and September in the chamber music setting of Grafton’s Kāhui St David’s will feature works by  Bach and Vivaldi, with Auckland Philharmonia.

Auckland Philharmonia’s annual Opera in Concert will be a semi-staged production of Puccini’s opera Tosca, with a two-concert run to meet high demand, will be no exception. With such a captivating story of love, lust, murder and political intrigue, accompanied by some of the most exciting and dramatic music . It will see Serena Farnocchia as the diva Floria Tosca, tenor Antonello Palombi as Cavaradossi, baritone Lucio Gallo in the role of Scarpia, along with New Zealand bass-baritone Edward Smith, singing the role of Angelotti.

Released in 1977, George Lucas’ movie Star Wars: A New Hope first introduced us to Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader. Celebrating the film’s 50th anniversary in 2027, the Auckland Philharmonia  brings this cinematic titan to the big screen performing John Williams’ Oscar-winning score.

Following their sold-out Aotearoa debut with Auckland Phil in 2025, charming Art of the Score podcasters Andrew Pogson and Dan Golding return to present The Music of Joe Hisaishi, a musical love letter to Japan’s great Maestro. From Studio Ghibli classics Spirited Away and My Neighbour Totoro to over 100 works for the screen and concert hall, Joe Hisaishi is one of the world’s most prolific and beloved contemporary composers.

Auckland Phil’s annual Matariki concert returns with Kāpiti Ice Cream presents Mānawatia a Matariki, inviting whānau and friends to celebrate the Māori new year with this night of uplifting music. This evening of exciting musical collaboration features a very special line up of guest artists joining forces with the Auckland Philharmonia to perform the best of waiata reo Māori.

The orchestra wraps the season with its annual Christmas Cheer featuring special guest vocalists and The Graduate Choir New Zealand.

In April, popular children’s concert series Tunes 4 Tamariki dives into Te Ao Moana, exploring the ocean world through music. In this lively interactive concert, talented singing duo Loopy Tunes Preschool Music, winners of NZ on Air Best Primary Song at the 2026 Aotearoa Children’s Music Awards, join the orchestra to perform music, songs and stories connected to the sea.

Then in December, charismatic entertainer Kevin Keys presents Tunes 4 Tamariki: Kevin’s Kirihimete, a concert for little ones and their whānau that’s filled with singing, dancing and holiday joy.

In 2027, the Community Classics series celebrates some of the best-known love stories. At each of the three performances of this family-friendly concert, the orchestra and special guests will play musical excerpts from beloved classics, including Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty and traditional Māori love song ‘Pōkarekare Ana’.

In March, the popular In Your Neighbourhood series returns with a concert featuring Interim Concertmaster Max Tan and his fellow string section colleagues playing works by Strauss, Mozart and Martinů. Then in October, Principal Horn Gabrielle Pho leads a programme that showcases the lyrical qualities of the French horn, alongside the richness of strings. The series concludes with a fanfare to the holiday season, Principal Trumpet Huw Dann leading his brass section colleagues in a concert filled with treasured, classic festive favourites.

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Sir Donald Runnicles, Madeleine Pierard and the NZSO

Reviewed by John Daly-Peoples

Sir Donald Runnicles

New Zealand Symphony Orchestra

Four Last Songs

R. Strauss: Rosenkavalier Suite

R. Strauss: Four Last Songs (Vier letzte Lieder) performed by Madeleine Pierard

Johannes Brahms: Symphony No. 3

Conductor; Sir Donald Runnicles

Auckland Town Hall

October 2

Reviewed by John Daly-Peoples

The Rosenkavalier suite is an orchestral arrangement derived from Richard Strauss’s famous 1911 comic opera and consists of five connected sections that capture the emotional and melodic core of the opera. It is a marvellous piece of composition which showed off the strength of the orchestra with Sir Donald Runnicles conducting with tremendous energy particulary in the final, uproarious waltz sequence, where Sir Donald seemed to be like a ringmaster in charge of a circus band.  

Throughout the work he ensured that all the tonal and percussive qualities of the music were appreciated, bringing out the intense drama of the work as well as the more pensive parts where the orchestra was almost whispering and in several of the dance sequences, he almost seemed to take flight.

The strings were particularly expressive in the presentation of the rose sequence as well is in the final trio, but the finest sequence of all was the prelude, with its marvellously colourful horns.

Strauss’s Four Last Songs come at the end of the period of great German music and while the songs are something of a requiem for the composer, they are also a meditation on the downfall of Germany and the end of its romantic period. However, the mixture of the depressing and the defiant can also be seen as a celebration of the eventual resurrection of the man as well as that of the country.

The four poems which are set in a garden trace out both a day and a life from the perspective of the composer reflecting on the passing of time and his own life.

The first song Frühling (Spring) is a setting of a poem by Hermann Hesse about waking up in a scent filled spring garden. The second song September makes use of a Hesse poem depicting the garden’s colours changing to autumn.

In Beim Schlafengehen (Going to Sleep) the composer uses the poem to explore his desire to escape the demands and worry of the day and to escape into the night.

The final song Im Abendrot (At Sunset) takes a poem by Joseph von Eichendorff in which the composer depicts himself and his wife at sunset contemplating death with the composer quoting from his own composition Death and Transfiguration.

 Madeleine Pierard

 Madeleine Pierard managed to capture the sense of life slowly ebbing from the body and contemplation of death with the occasional vision of tranquillity. Her shimmering gown seemed to mirror her shimmering voice shot through with light sparkling against the dark.

At times she allowed the music to overwhelm her voice as though overcome by the forces of death and despair, only to then rise above the music. At times her voice seemed like a musical instrument as it flowed among the sounds of the orchestra

Throughout the songs her voice had an introspective quality, the music providing the garden in which she wandered, her aching despairing voice emerging as though striving to find new life.

Her voice had a superb quality of emotional expression matching the emotional quality of Strauss’s music, always able to complement the power and delicacy of the music.

Concertmaster Vesa-Matti Leppanen provided a soulful violin solo in the Going to Sleep song, mirroring the vocal soaring of Pierard’s voice depicting the rising of the soul in flight and is emotional highlight of the song cycle.

The major work on the programme was the Brahms “Symphony No 3, a work which is full of marvellous melodies, but which is something of an enigmatic work.

In many ways it is a forerunner of the impressionist works of Debussy and Ravel reflecting the interest of the Impressionist artists of the late nineteenth century. Much of the music is linked to visions of landscape, light and shade, colours and texture.

Sir Donald took a very nuanced approach to the music exploring the chiaroscuro of the work. Every tonal change seemed to have an extra emphasis with some sections slightly truncated while others were extended and several sequences had a palpable tension.

These images he created parallel a world of emotions and feelings, the composers inner and exterior worlds mingling. In building a structure based on these links Brahms explores the nature of the human condition. This is particularly evident in the final movement with its passages of drama and tumult suggesting natural forces as well as the inner turmoil of love and passion.

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Australian Music: Umberto Clerici Conducts Dvorak

Reviewed by John Daly-Peoples

Umberto Clerici

Australian Music: Umberto Clerici Conducts Dvorak

Concert Hall

Sydney Opera Houseouase

September 18

Reviewed by John Daly-Peoples

In February 2022 as Auckland was coming out of Covid lockdown the Auckland Philharmonia gave a special performance in the Town Hall to 100 masked patrons. It was the orchestra’s first concert after nearly two years and the major work on the programme was Dvorak’s Symphony No 8, a joyful work sounding the relief after many days of seclusion.

Last week the Sydney Symphony Orchestra was playing the Dvorak symphony as part of their Tea & Symphony series which feature one-hour daytime orchestral performances at the Sydney Opera House complete with complimentary tea and biscuits.

The symphony is like the soundscape to a Czech epic tale with a mixture of nature, landscape, events and dancing, it is the music of adventures, heroics, and larger than life figures,

Like other composers of the period there is a strong element of nationalism to the music similar to the earlier works of Jean Sibelius’  such as “Finlandia” and Edward Greig’s “Peer Gynt Suites”.

The music is focused on the landscape and ethos of the country with Dvorak presenting changing moods and unfolding spectacle. He moves from the playful to the picaresque, from the dramatic to the contemplative. There is wit and there is angst all skilfully delivered by conductor Umberto Clerici.

After the honeyed tones of the opening and the sweetness of the flutes the orchestra erupted with joyous celebratory tones flecked with hints of drama. Then we heard bird-like sounds from the strings followed by some ferocious sounds from the percussion heralding a triumphant Nature.

The second movement featured a flowing dance sequence illuminated by woodwinds and flutes. Then after a mysterious segment there was another spritely dance sequence featuring strings, brass and woodwinds.

The third movement was full of shimmering sounds creating a spring-like impression full of joy followed by passages of dark foreboding while the fourth movement opens with a big, bold march tune which morphed into a sequence of Czech dance tunes such as the polka, Dvorak turning these simple melodies into clever musical inventions.

The final movement opens with commanding brass fanfare that is followed by the cello which introduced the lyrical main theme—a distinctly Czech melody consisting of wide-ranging variations which shift dynamically between moments of fiery, rustic energy and tender, introspective beauty.

The first work on the programme was Ligeti’s “Romanian Concerto“ which like Dvorak’s Symphony was a nationalistic work with the composer responding to the sounds of Romanian village band.

The work composed in1951 opens with a sweeping landscape common to many composers reacting to their country’s nationalist sympathies. The flute sounds hinting at the bright glint of light on water also suggested the dawn of a new era of modernist composition.

Then there were rousing sounds from the woodwinds referencing lively, dance themes as well as some quirky abrupt, sequences and some rustic sounds from the horns. There were also mysterious, restless passages with the sounds of gypsy strings which Legeti recalled from his youth.

The way in which he wrote the music of the village bands with a slight discordant sound was regarded by the authorities as incorrect and led to the work being banned for many years.

Future Sydney Symphony Orchestra concerts

October 30 – 31 Mendelssohn’s Elijah with Bryn Terfel

November 6 -8 Simone Young conducts Mozart & Bach

November 19 – 22 Simone Young conducts Gotterdammerung

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Australian music: Sydney Symphony Orchestra performs Mozart’s Requiem

Reviewed by John Daly-Peoples

Stephen Lawton. Image: Sydney Symphony Orchestra

Mozart’s Requiem

Sydney Symphony Orchestra

Sydney Opera House

September 9

Reviewed by John Daly-Peoples

The last performance of Mozart’s Requiem I heard was a couple of years ago at the Royal Albert Hall where there were close to two thousand choristers.

Sydney Philharmonic Choirs may have had only a tenth of that number in last nights performance with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra but under the direction of conductor Stephen Layton it delivered an intense, introspective interpretation which showed that size alone does not produce sonic brilliance.

The Requiem  may have been written for Count Franz von Walsegg but it always feels to have been written for Mozart himself.

The Latin text that he used would have been familiar to him as well as most Europeans of the day and it would have held meaning for the composer as well with four of his six children dying young

Is is the emotional drama of the music which is very much the composers as he reflects on his own life and mortality.

 From  the opening Introit, Mozart defines what is central to the work – lifes journey from uncertainty to renewal.

In the first sections, the Introit and Kyrie we have the first intimations of a heavenly voice with a brief appearance of soprano Samantha Clarke as well as hints of melancholia from the darker strings. Mozart then gives us an extraordinary change of pace with sonic punches from orchestra and choir with Dies Irae. This acknowledgment of the Day of Wrath with thunderous sounds was as powerful as any of his operatic moments.

This was followed by Tuba mirum where the soloists and their tenuous searching voices made us aware of the human figures in the work. Baritone Simon Meadows melancholic voice alerted us to the dark dimensions of life while Clarke and mezzanine Ashlyn Tymms gave us wondrous angelic sounds.

With the Rex tremendous the soloists and orchestra provided a beautifully  layered sound providing an emotional richness. Clarke seemed particularly engaged with her bright, focused voice

Mozart only wrote the first eight bars of Lacrimosa before he died (completed by his close  friend and pupil Xaver Sussmayr. It is a sumptuous piece which conveys human sadness with  mixture of lightness and despondency which the choir elegantly delivered.

The Sanctus which followed showed a  particularly forcefully choir and orchestra while in the Benedictus which followed  Tymms’ distinctive voice along with Clarke’s soured above the warm voices of tenor Andrew Goodwin and Meadows’s powerful baritone, the four voices intermingling in an elegant display.

With the beautifully crafted Agnus Dei the choir seemed to be searching for a new sound, their voices varying from the lightest of whispers to full crescendo but with the final Communio they embarked on the great drama which ended the work.

After interval the orchestra played Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis by Ralph Vaughan Williams and John Rutter’s Gloria. The Vaughan Williams melancholic music which explores British landscape with sounds of the spirit rising to an apotheosis was rewarding while Rutter’s celebratory work was fine companion work to Mozart’s Requiem.

Stephen Lawton’s conducting throughout the work was crisp and controlled ensuring a nuanced sound from the orchestra and choir but his conducting became more agitated and demonstrative when the music required.

Future Sydney Symphony Orchstra concerts

October 30 – 31 Mendelssohn’s Elijah with Bryn Terfel

November 6 -8 Simone Young conducts Mozart & Bach

November 19 –  22 Simone Young conducts Gotterdammerung

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Simon O’Neill and Pietari Inkinen shine in NZSO’s Radiance

Simon O’Neill Photo: Phoebe Cassidy / NZSO

Radiance

New Zealand Symphony Orchestra

Conductor: Pietari Inkinen

Tenor: Simon O’Neill

Auckland Town Hall

August 21

Reviewed by John Daly-Peoples

Normally one has to wait till either the Wellington or Auckland Arts festivals brings together a couple of international stars, but the NZSO Radiance concert brought together conductor Pietari Inkinen and tenor Simon O’Neill provided an exceptional linking of two international stars along with an inspirational NZSO.

Both O’Neill and Inkinen have become international names in concerts hall around the world, regarded as Wagner specialists.

With the eerie green light projected onto the Town Hall’s organ pipes, the vast array of instruments on stage and a sold-out performance the concert promised to be a major event. And it was.

Out of the huge orchestra came the initial light tones of the Tannhauser Overture which slowly increased in volume and within a few minutes came the full force and musical energy of Wagner’s music under the baton of Pietari Inkinen

 Carefully shaping the orchestral sound, revealing the brilliance of the music, he made the audience aware of all the hallmarks of Wagner. Mystery, myth, magical spaces, human sacrifice and redemption. Linking the heroic past to contemporary German nineteenth century German religious ideas and nationalism.

It was several minutes into the music that O’Neil entered, bemoaning his condition. His distinctive voice rising above the sounds of the orchestra.

While the workbegins with the quiet, noble hymn representing redemption and faith it soon erupts into swirling, chromatic agitation depicting sensual temptation.

This was music that followed the ideas of the composer – the total work of art with richly orchestrated music, dramas driven by recurring, psychologically shifting leitmotifs and extreme chromatic harmony. It was music which emphasised the ideas of aspiration, regeneration, hope and nobility.

O’Neill fiercely conveyed the idea of a hero struggling against forces beyond his control, with his sharp angular movements and gestures as well as focussed singing.

Under Inkinen’s direction the NZSO provided a perceptive clarity to the music, sensitive to the singing of O’Neill and providing the emotional depth to the unfolding narrative.

There was drama and violence as well as calm and sweetness to the O’Neill’s voice and he demonstrated his total control, his posture, gestures and all his movements seemed natural and he was the embodiment of the Tannhauser, providing a nuanced depiction of the hero.

A Wagner performance is dependent on the role of the conductor, who needs to understand the music’s structure appreciate the connection between singers and the music and is able to balance the needs of the orchestra and the singers.

Pietari Inkinen Photo: Phoebe Cassidy / NZSO

Central toTannhäuser is the exploration on the deep, conflictbetween carnal desire and spiritual purity which prevents Tannhäuser from achieving a psychological wholeness. Rather than a simple moral tale of sin and repentance, it is also Wagners attempt to reconcile his own attempt to understand his own ego driven life and the fate of German ideas.

O’Neill approached the role with immense commitment, his tenor voice powerful and his projection flawless. He maintained an intense, radiant quality particularly in the lengthy Rome narrative section as well his farewell to Venus.

His singing, from the quiet, noble passages representing redemption and faith, through the swirling chromatic agitation depicting sensual temptation of the Venusberg section was always focussed.

Parsifal opens with an achingly beautiful prelude where out of silence, a simple melody emerges, played by the strings, and seems to hover there creating a sense of otherworldliness and later adding grandeur and nobility.

Many of the work’s motifs notably those associated with the Grail and the Spear as well as abstract ideas like sorrow and faith, shame and torment are revealed in the music — the restless string rhythms and shifting harmonies always searching for resolution.

The success of Parsifal relies heavily on an orchestra and conductor appreciating the needs of the soloist and the way Wagner’s music supports the singer and O’Neill was able to balance heroic aspects of the role along with his anguished search for redemption.

The audience was provided with the German text and a translation but only those near to the stage would have had sufficient illumination to read the words. Providing surtitles has become essential for any opera production and should have been available for the Radiance concert.

Just because Bayreuth doesn’t provide surtitles doesn’t mean audiences around the world have to make do without them as well.

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NZTrio’s Space Jump

Reviewed by John Daly-Peoples

Somi Kim, Amalia Hall and Matthias Balzat

NZ Trio, Space Jump

Auckland Concert Chamber

August 16

Reviewed by John Daly-Peoples

The title of the NZTrio’s latest concert came from the first work on the programme – Fazil Say’s “Space Jump for piano trio”. The Turkish composer, Say wrote the work having witnessed the Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner jump from a balloon 39 kilometres above the New Mexico desert. His descent time was 9 minutes and 3 seconds making him the first human to break the sound barrier in freefall without vehicle power.

The work which is like the soundtrack to a film of the event described the action of the ascent, the jump, the descent and the  parachute landing.

Ater a short introduction of several sharp sounds the music took on a free, floating tone suggesting the emptiness and soundlessness of the ascent with the occasional music hint at an inherent danger.

Halfway through the piece the cello and violin suggest an almost spectral sound before the climatic sounds of the descent, dramatic and relentless, Amalia Hall energetically plucking at the strings of her violin and the trilling of the piano captured the idea of the billowing parachute and the stillness of its descent

The trio gave an intense sonic performance which required aggressive attacks, precise harmonising, and rhythmic strength with the piano, violin, and cello cleverly creating the sense of being in Earth’s upper atmosphere.

Reena Esmail’s Piano Trio stems from her Indian immigrant background with the threads of Western and Eastern music blending her interest in Hindustani music as well as that of Mendelssohn and Shostakovich.

Each of the four movements has displayed an element of the classical Indian raga which generally provided a melodic framework for improvisation.

The first movement has a particularly light quality with shimmering sounds from each of the instruments and they each seemed to be chasing an elusive sound. There were shifting dynamics between the three instruments where the subtle textures slowly morphed into raga melodies, integrating with the classical. The music was full of tremolos, slides and taut harmonies which created a sense of timelessness.

There were sparkling and watery sounds with a flowing movement along with some exuberant playing by the violin and cello while Somi Kim produced multiple runs on the piano.

The third movement hints at Mendelssohn and Shostakovich whose has been important to her and in the final movement there is a rising, intricate string melody, shimmering over over the piano work, which the led to a passage where the instruments seem to be at odds with each other before moving into a dreamlike conclusion.

The New Zealand composer Keith Moss write his “Field notes in Autum” about his living in Wellington in Autumn.

This was a truly atmospheric piece conveying many elements of Wellingtons weather and its changing light. There is a flurry of rain in the opening moments of the piece before suggestions of fleeting clouds, rain sweeping across hills along with the creeping chill of a Wellington day.

This is a sombre Wellington, dark and brooding but with flashes of sunlight dancing on the houses and hills.

The final, and major work on the programme was Schumann’s “Piano Trio No 2” which is essentially a love letter to Clara Schumann.

It was passionate and intense from the opening moments with the violin and cello in an ardent and rapid conversation. Light notes from the violin were answered with denser sounds from the cello.

The work is not just a conversation, it also conveyed the passion and drama of the couple’s relationship. With the light quivering of the violin and the richer reflections of the cello.

The second movement was less passionate and more contemplative surrounded by bursts of excitement. It is as though Schumann is seeing the relationship with more depth and understanding.

Throughout the piece violin and cello were well integrated, answering each other’s tentative questions with musing and meditations.

Somi Kim’s piano provided an ideal setting for the two strings as well as adding depth to the instruments. Violin and cello also responded to the piano giving some cheery and frothy accompaniment. Before leading to the climactic finish with some rapid intersections and mingling of voices.

As with all their concerts the trio demonstrated why they are such an innovative group programming a mix of classic and contemporary works along with New Zaland and international compositions which challenge, entertain and surprise.

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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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“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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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.