Young Russian Star Performs With NZSO in June

Young Russian Star To Celebrate His 21st With The NZSO

Presented by TV ONE

"This is the sort of playing [by Ilya Gringolts] which you don't just admire and wonder at, but which you find yourself wanting to be entertained by all evening." Hilary Finch, The Times

Astonishing young Russian violinist Ilya Gringolts will perform with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra in June at the Auckland Town Hall in some of the best concerts of the year. This tour also incorporates a celebration of his 21st birthday on 2 July in Palmerston North.

Ilya Gringolts, a protégé of one of the world's top violinists and teachers Itzhak Perlman , will perform the gorgeous Mendelssohn Violin Concerto on Friday 27 June and the boldly romantic Sibelius Violin Concerto on Saturday 28 June in Auckland. In 1998, at the age of 16, Ilya won First Prize at the International Paganini Violin Competition as well as a special prize for the best interpretation of Paganini's "Capriccio". He was also a prizewinner in the 1995 Yehudi Menuhin International Violin Competition.

Gringolts' first teacher refused to teach him, having already decided, that at the age of five, he was completely talentless. At 20 he is described by Gramophone magazine as "Another outstanding Russian violinist...He has a notably rich, beautiful unforced tone". In 2002 he becomes one of twelve young artists selected by the BBC for their New Generation Artists Scheme.

Stefan Sanderling, making his NZ debut, will be on the podium featuring Brahms's richly autumnal Symphony No. 4, heralded by Lucy Mulgan's 'Cape Reinga' (Douglas Lilburn Prize 2003 finalist) in the first concert. In the second concert the orchestra will perform Dvorak's Symphony No. 7, a symphony full of melody and rhythmic vitality, introduced by an evocation of Nordic sunrise in Nielsen's Helios Overture which opens the concert.

Stefan Sanderling came to international recognition when he was one of the youngest conductors to be appointed as Music Director of the Brandenburg Philharmonic orchestra and Potsdam Opera. He has gone on to conduct many of Europe's top orchestras including the London Philharmonic, the Royal Philharmonic and the Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra.

PROGRAMME NEW ZEALAND SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Presented by TV ONE GREAT CLASSICS Presented by TV ONE

Friday 27 June, 6.30pm, Town Hall AUCKLAND

Virtuosity, great tunes and rich orchestration in two major European works from the nineteenth century plus the first finalist in the Douglas Lilburn Prize 2003.

Stefan Sanderling conductor Ilya Gringolts violin LUCY MULGAN Cape Reinga (Douglas Lilburn Prize 2003 Finalist) MENDELSSOHN Violin Concerto BRAHMS Symphony No.4

NZSO GREAT ORCHESTRA Saturday 28 June, 8pm, Town Hall AUCKLAND*

Two international artists new to New Zealand audiences bring an evocation of sunrise, a boldly Romantic violin concerto and a symphony known for its melody and rhythmic vitality. Stefan Sanderling conductor Ilya Gringolts violin NIELSEN Helios Overture SIBELIUS Violin Concerto DVORAK Symphony No.7 Free Pre-concert talk starting at 7.15pm, Auckland Town Hall Concert Chamber Speaker; Peter Walls.

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