The magnificence of Mozart

11 April 2006

The magnificence of Mozart

In commemoration of the 250th anniversary of Mozart’s birth, the Auckland Philharmonia celebrates on Thursday 11 May during the APN News & Media Premier Series with a concert devoted entirely to his music.

Headlining the event will be Mozart’s powerful, posthumous Requiem under the baton of acclaimed choral and symphonic conductor Alexander Liebreich, a popular guest conductor throughout Europe who is making a welcome return to the Auckland Philharmonia. The line up of star soloists includes Patricia Wright (soprano), Kate Spence (mezzo-soprano), Paul McMahon (tenor) and Stephen Bennett (bass), along with the Chapman Tripp Opera Chorus.

After winning the 1996 Kondrashin Conducting Competition, young German conductor ALEXANDER LIEBRIECH was immediately appointed Assistant Conductor of the Radio Filharmonisch Orkest-Holland. He later gained further recognition as an assistant to Sir Colin Davis in opera productions. From 2006 he takes on the position of Music Director of the Munich Chamber Orchestra.

PATRICIA WRIGHT is one of New Zealand’s leading sopranos, and regularly accepts invitations to perform with the major orchestras, opera companies, festivals and choral societies in New Zealand and Australia. She was most recently heard by Auckland audiences as Donna Anna in NBR NZ Opera’s production of Don Giovanni.

Mezzo-soprano KATE SPENCE has sung with NBR NZ Opera, Opera Queensland and the English National Opera, and has appeared as a soloist with choral societies and early music ensembles throughout Australia and New Zealand.
Tenor PAUL McMAHON makes regular appearances as soloist with orchestras, chamber music groups and choirs throughout Australia and New Zealand.

He has also appeared as soloist in the Melbourne and Brisbane Festivals.
Australia’s leading lyric bass, STEPHEN BENNETT has appeared with most of Australia’s major orchestras and choirs. He has performed a wide variety of roles with Opera Australia, Pinchgut Opera, Canterbury Opera and Cologne Opera, and most recently appeared with NBR NZ Opera as Sparafucile in Rigoletto.

The concert programme also features one of Mozart’s finest creations, the joyful Haffner Symphony (Symphony No.35), and two deeply spiritual works: the Masonic Cantata Die Maurerfreude and the sublime Ave Verum Corpus.
AUCKLAND PHILHARMONIA APN NEWS & MEDIA PREMIER SERIES, Concert 6
Thursday 11 May – 8pm, Auckland Town Hall
BOOKINGS: Ticketek Orchestra Hotline ph. (09) 307 5139 or visit www.ticketek.co.nz

The Auckland Philharmonia receives major funding from Creative New Zealand and major grants from Auckland City and the ASB Charitable Trust.

ENDS

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