Chamber Music: Viennese trio warmly welcomed back

Viennese trio warmly welcomed back

Described as one of the world’s leading violin, cello and piano ensembles, the Vienna Piano Trio return to New Zealand to perform in nine centres as part of Chamber Music New Zealand’s Celebrity Season next month (October).

Formed in 1988, the trio last toured for Chamber Music New Zealand in 2000 to rave reviews. The Evening Standard called their performance “music making at the peak of perfection”, The Christchurch Press found the trio “intensely thoughtful…the Vienna Piano Trio gave a magnificent concert, of a programme that could hardly be faulted” and The New Zealand Herald termed the trio as “undoubtedly instrumentalists of quality…(the concert) was a rich experience.”

This year the trio released two CDs of Dvorák’s Piano Trios. Music insiders have praised it as ”a fine Dvorák release which will only serve to enhance the reputation of the excellent Vienna Piano Trio.” (Classical Music Web). British newspaper The Guardian gave it four stars, saying “… the talented young Vienna Piano Trio bring out to the full the dramatic contrasts of Dvorák´s writing. They are not just sharp in attack but raptly bring out the mystery of the slow movement … all three players using the widest expressive range.”

The trio (Stefan Mendl, piano, Wolfgang Redik, violin and Matthias Gredler, cello) have all enjoyed success in music from an early age. Stefan first started playing the piano when he was five and in 1993 was awarded the Grand Prix Franz Schubert by the International Schubert Society. Matthias, the son of a family of musicians, received his first cello lessons from his father. He was awarded numerous prizes while studying, enabling him to perform to international audiences from an early age. Wolfgang plays a 1772 J B Guagagnini violin, owned by the Austrian National Bank and loaned to him in recognition of his standing as a world-class violinist. In 1994 he was awarded the Special Prize of Honour by the Austrian Arts and Science Ministry.

On their New Zealand tour, the trio will be performing Dvorák’s Piano Trio in F minor Opus 65 together with A Feather of Blue, by New Zealand composer Maria Grenfell. Grenfell's work takes its title from a phrase in poem A View From a Window by New Zealand writer Kevin Ireland. Grenfell found inspiration in Ireland’s book of poems Skinning a Fish and its imagery of colours, flowers, feathers and birds.

They also have a special affinity with Viennese music and will be performing works by Beethoven, Schubert and Schoenberg, three composers notably connected to the city.

The tour is supported by the Turnovsky Endowment Trust to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the death of Fred Turnovsky, arts patron and leading light in the foundation of Chamber Music New Zealand.

For more information, visit http://www.chambermusic.co.nz .

In presenting the Vienna Piano Trio, Chamber Music New Zealand acknowledges funding from Creative New Zealand.

ENDS

Programme 1 (Christchurch, Invercargill, Dunedin, Palmerston North & Auckland)

SCHUBERT Sonata Movement for Piano Trio in B flat D 28

SCHOENBERG (arr. Steuermann) Transfigured Night

Interval

MARIA GRENFELL A Feather of Blue

BEETHOVEN Piano Trio in B flat Opus 97 ‘Archduke’

Programme 2 (Nelson, Wellington, Hawkes Bay & New Plymouth)

SCHUBERT Piano Trio in B flat D 898

Interval

MARIA GRENFELL A Feather of Blue

DVORÁK Piano Trio in F minor Opus 65

Concert Dates

CHRISTCHURCH

Monday 4 October, James Hay Theatre

A reserve $50, B reserve $45

Book at Ticketek, ph (03) 377 8899 (service fees apply)

INVERCARGILL

Tuesday 5 October, Centrestage

General Admission $45

Book at TicketDirect, ph (03) 211 1692 (a transaction fee may apply)

DUNEDIN

Wednesday 6 October, Glenroy Auditorium

$45

Book at Ticketek, ph (03) 477 8597 (service fees apply)

Presented as part of the Otago Festival of the Arts

NELSON

Thursday 7 October, Nelson School of Music

$45

Book at Nelson School of Music, ph (03) 548 9477 (a transaction fee may apply)

PALMERSTON NORTH

Saturday 9 October, Regent on Broadway

$45

Book at TicketDirect, ph (06) 357 9740 or 0800 4TICKET (484 253) (a transaction fee may apply)

WELLINGTON

Monday 11 October, Wellington Town Hall

A reserve $60, B reserve $50

Book at Ticketek, ph (04) 384 3840 (service fees apply)

HAWKES BAY

Tuesday 12 October, Century Theatre

$50

Book at Century Theatre, ph (06) 835 7781 (a transaction fee may apply)

NEW PLYMOUTH

Wednesday 13 October, Theatre Royal, TSB Showplace

$45

Book at Ticketek, ph (06) 759 0021 (service fees apply)

AUCKLAND

Thursday 14 October, Auckland Town Hall

A reserve $60, B reserve $50

Book at Ticketek, ph (09) 307 5000 (service fees apply)

All concerts start at 8pm.

Links

Chamber Music New Zealand http://www.chambermusic.co.nz

Vienna Piano Trio homepage http://www.viennapianotrio.com

Creative New Zealand http://www.creativenz.govt.nz

Otago Festival of the Arts http://www.otagofestival.co.nz

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