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The Wellington Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Rachel Hyde, led by Ann Goodbehere, perform at St Andrews-on-the-Terrace,
Wellington at 2:30pm, Sunday 2 July. Tickets are available from orchestra members or at the door: Adults $15; Students /
Senior Citizens / Unwaged $12; Free entry to those aged 15yrs and under.
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Audiences for the Wellington Chamber Orchestra’s July 2nd Concert will be treated to a truly international programme
that echoes the famous Monty Python catch-phrase: “And now for something completely different….”
The programme, conducted by Rachel Hyde and led by Ann Goodbehere, comprises Francis Poulenc's Sinfonietta, Nikolai
Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov's Symphony No 3 in C Major and György Ligeti's Concert Românesc - pieces which are not
commonly heard here, but which promise to reward both listeners and performers alike.
"I wanted to choose pieces which are not familiar to audience or players,” Rachel explains, “but which will provide both
a challenging and satisfying musical experience for all involved. These three pieces complement each other with
beautiful melodies, interesting harmonies and quirky rhythms that provide plenty of interest and enjoyment.”
Poulenc was one of the group of sophisticated eccentric French composers known as Les Six who enjoyed thumbing their
noses at the musical establishment and his Sinfonietta provides plenty of examples of his non-conventional musicianship.
Similarly, Rimsky Korsakov was a member of the ‘Mighty Handful’ group of five Russian composers who sought to
incorporate Russian folk music traditions into their works. His Third Symphony embodies many of these qualities with
soulful melodies and dancing rhythms. This nationalism is also echoed in the Ligeti which has passages with a wild
Romanian-gypsy flavour spiced with asymmetric rhythms and evocative tonal techniques. A true international, György
Ligeti, was born to Hungarian Jewish parents in Transylvania and studied and taught music in Budapest. When the Soviet
army quelled the Hungarian Revolution in 1956, Ligeti escaped to, and became a citizen of, Austria.
“The works have quite a lot in common with Chamber Music,” Rachel continues. “The scoring is quite delicate and subtle
and all the orchestral sections and instruments feature well. I knew that the Wellington Chamber Orchestra would really
enjoy the challenge of a less traditional programme and rise to it well.”
Rachel Hyde has been conducting since her school years in the UK .She was Musical Director of Wolverhampton Symphony
Orchestra and guest conductor for both the Wyre Forest and the Wrexham Symphony Orchestras before moving to New Zealand.
She has taken up a position with the NZSO as Leader of the Artistic Planning Team, and has gradually been making her
mark as a conductor here. She is the Musical Director of the Wellington-based choir Cantoris and first conducted the
Wellington Chamber Orchestra in a highly successful programme of Music of Film and Screen at the end of 2005.
The Wellington Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Rachel Hyde, led by Ann Goodbehere, perform at St Andrews-on-the-Terrace,
Wellington at 2:30pm, Sunday 2 July. Tickets are available from orchestra members or at the door: Adults $15; Students /
Senior Citizens / Unwaged $12; Free entry to those aged 15yrs and under.
ENDS