NZSO Listings-: March - May 2006

NZSO Listings-: March - May 2006

The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra open's it season of concerts in Wellington with Composer Focus on Gershwin. Introducing "the best Gershwin pianist since Gershwin himself.", Kevin Cole to to bring together the worlds of classical and popular music and recreate the jazz idiom - the fusion of which found a new kind of popular song in the 20's and 30's that saw Gershwin compared to Schubert. This is your chance to catch those knock-out tunes including An American in Paris and the famous Rhapsody in Blue.

Composer Focus - Gershwin Friday 31 March at 7.00pm WELLINGTON TOWN HALL

Olari Elts- Conductor Kevin Cole- Piano Gershwin: Cuban Overture Gershwin: Piano Concerto in F Major Gershwin: An American in Paris Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue

LION FOUNDATION HEARTLAND TOUR APRIL

The pomp and brilliance of Mozart's ballet music to his opera Idomeneo introduces the NZSO's charismatic Concertmaster - Vesa-Matti Leppanen will feature as soloist in engaging violin concerto with its exotic 'Turkish' finale, Webern's 20th century take on Schubert's German dances, and links to reminiscences of Mozart in Schubert's captivation and popular Fifth Symphony.

Wednesday 5 April 7.30pm Royal Wanganui Opera House Wanganui Thursday 6 April 7.30pm Town Hall Taihape Friday 7 April 7.30pm Great Lake Centre Taupo Saturday 8 April 7.30pm Hawkes Bay Opera House Hastings Sunday 9 April 7.30pm Wairoa Community Centre Wairoa

Olari Elts Conductor Vesa-Matti Leppanen Violin

Mozart Idomeneo Ballet Music Mozart Violin Concerto No 5 in A major Schubert arr Webern Deutsche Tanze Schubert Symphony No 5

THE WRIGHTSON SOUTH ISLAND TOUR APRIL

The NZSO's Associate Conductor, Hamish McKeich with narrator Kevin Keys, will take the audience-favourite - Peter and the Wolf on NZSO visits around the country.

Wednesday 5 April 7.30pm Civic Theatre Invercargill Thursday 6 April 7.30pm Memorial Hall Balclutha Friday 7 April 7.30pm Events Centre Queenstown Saturday 8 April 7.30pm Events Centre Twizel Sunday 9 April 7.30pm Theatre Royal Timaru

Hamish McKeich- Conductor Kevin Keys- Narrator Haydn, J: Symphony No 30 in C Major Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf Op 67 Mozart: Symphony No 41 in C Major K 551 Stravinsky: Danses Concertante

NZSO SUBSCRIPTION SERIES 2006: GOING PLACES APRIL

Barry Douglas's triumph as gold medallist at the Eighth Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition propelled this dazzling musician onto the international concert scene as a titan of the keyboard: spectacular technique, commanding musicianship, and fearlessness. He returns to NZ with THE signature Russian piano concert o under the sparkling direction of Yan Pascal Tortelier.

Friday 21 April at 6.30pm MICHAEL FOWLER CENTRE Friday 28 April at 6.30pm AUCKLAND TOWN HALL

Yan Pascal Tortelier- Conductor Barry Douglas- Piano Vaughn Williams: Fantasia on a theme by Thomas Tallis Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No 1 in B Flat minor Op 23 Vaughn Williams: Symphony No 4 in F Minor

Barry Douglas's triumph as gold medallist at the Eighth Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition propelled this dazzling musician onto the international concert scene as a titan of the keyboard: spectacular technique, commanding musicianship, and fearlessness. He will perform the magnificent Beethoven's heroic Emperor Concerto John Rimmer's Hidden Treasures clears the palette for the French flair of Debussy's masterpiece, La Mer, with Yan Pascal Tortelier conducting this dazzlingly-orchestrated portrait of the sea in all its moods, dramas and nuances.

Wednesday 26 April 8pm Municipal Theatre Napier Thursday 27 April 8pm Civic Theatre Rotorua Saturday 29 April 8pm Town Hall Auckland Preconcert talk 7.15 Friday 5 May 8pm Regent on Broadway Palmerston North Saturday 6 May 8pm Michael Fowler Centre Wellington Preconcert talk 7.15pm

Yan Pascal Tortelier- Conductor Barry Douglas-Piano Edward Ellen- French Horn Beethoven: Piano Concerto No 5 'Emperor' Rimmer: Hidden Treasures Debussy: La Mer

MADE IN NEW ZEALAND MAY

Of particular note in this annual concert, is young Auckland composer, Claire Cowan's My Alphabet of Light, a work that really impressed the judges of the inaugural NZSO and Todd Corporation Young Composer Reading in 2005, Cowan has been a recipient of three Lilburn composition awards so it is fitting that this concert also showcases the grandfather of NZ music; Douglas Lilburn's Symphony No 2, a work the NZSO has a great affiliation with.

Friday 12 May at 7.00pm WELLINGTON TOWN HALL

Kenneth Young- Conductor

John Psathas: Luminous Cowan: My Alphabet of Light De Castro Robinson: Peregrinations for Piano and Orchestra Whitehead: The Impropable Ordered Dance Lilburn: Symphony No 2

NZSO SUBSCRIPTION SERIES 2006 - GOING PLACES MAY

Heavy Traffic written by one co-founder of Stroma for the other, is the latest in your series of short commissions featuring an NZSO "star." A definite English artist theme for this concert, pairs James Judd with cellist Julian Lloyd Webber performing Elgar's cello concerto, made famous by Jacqueline du Pre, work based on the Hans Christian Andersen's story, was re-discovered after 80 years and was motivated by the composer's own experience of rejected love.

Sunday 21 May 6.30pm Michael Fowler Centre Wellington Thursday 25 May 8pm Founders Theatre Hamilton Preconcert talk 7.15pm Friday 26 May 6.30pm Town Hall Auckland Wednesday 31 May 6.30pm Town Hall Christchurch Preconcert talk 5.45pm Thursday 1 June 8pm Town Hall Dunedin

Preconcert talk 7.15pm James Judd- Conductor Hamish McKiech- Bassoon Julian Lloyd Webber- Cello M Norris: Heavy Traffic Elgar: Cello Concerto, op 85 in E Minor Zemlinsky: Die Seejngfrau- "The Mermaid" *Pre Concert Talk, Supper Room, AKTH, 7.15pm, Rimmer Commissioned Work

Cellist Julian Lloyd Webber solos in Tchaikovsky's dainty Rococo dance theme and its seven elegant variations. Mahler's epic and partially-scored final symphony- completed by Deryck Cooke - which commences with thoughts of death and, with its rich, romantic Mahlerian language, achieves a wondrous peace, ending with a sighing gesture to his wife: "To live for you, to die for you, Almschi!"

Saturday 20 May 8pm Michael Fowler Centre Wellington Preconcert talk 7.15pm Saturday 27 May 8pm Town Hall Auckland Preconcert talk 7.15pm

Saturday 20 May at 8.00pm James Judd- Conductor Julian Lloyd Webber- Cello

Tchaikovsky: Variations on a Rococo Theme Mahler: Symphony No. 10 (Cooke)

*Pre Concert talk, Ilott Chamber, 7.15pm, Mahler 10 *Pre Concert Talk, Supper Room, AKTH, 7.15pm, Mahler 10

ENDS

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