NZSO announce feast of outstanding artists for 09

NZSO announce feast of outstanding artists for 2009

From Pinchas Zukerman to Gautier Capuçon, Mark Wigglesworth to Leif Segerstam, and Sibelius to Wagner, the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra's 2009 Season is a magnificent offering.

Described as a conductor with "dazzling skill", NZSO Music Director Pietari Inkinen has done incredible things with the Orchestra in 2008 and he himself will conduct an epic number of concerts in 2009 - Mahler 3, three Subscription Tours and the Sibelius Festival in Wellington.

Pietari Inkinen now presents a feast of outstanding artists for the 2009 Season:

Legendary master of the violin, Pinchas Zukerman, headlines the 2009 Season in Auckland with the music of Elgar, Brahms and Beethoven. Solveig Kringelborn "incandescent, glowing with ardour and purpose" is the most celebrated soprano to emerge from Scandinavia. Kari Kriikku whose "tone is as marvellous as his technique" is the greatest living clarinet soloist. Gautier Capuçon, the cellist who astounded audiences here in 2007, returns to play Saint-Saëns Cello Concerto No 1 and Richard Strauss' Don Quixote. Virtuoso violinist Cho Liang Lin will perform violin concertos by Barber and Prokofiev. And finally two champions of the piano - Alexander Melnikov and Steven Osborne.

For the conductors, the NZSO has scored a coup with Mark Wigglesworth, described as "sizzling with exhilarating energy and dynamism". Music Director Emeritus James Judd will conduct the magnificent Zukerman Experience in Auckland. The much-loved Matthias Bamert returns, and of course musical giant Leif Segerstam will conduct his own symphony alongside the works of Sibelius, Grieg, Wagner, Strauss and Brahms.

The NZSO is also unveiling some new initiatives for the 2009 Season. After listening to audience feedback, matinee concerts in Auckland and Wellington and the introduction of a Seniors Subscription, are two of the new additions to the Orchestra's schedule.

NZSO Chief Executive Peter Walls says:

"The 2009 Season is representative of what the NZSO does best - major symphonic works. With an establishment of 90 players, the NZSO is New Zealand's only full-size professional symphony orchestra. The reception the NZSO receives internationally (most recently at the Beijing Olympic Cultural Festival, but also in reviews of our globally-released CDs) is proof that New Zealanders don't need to leave home to hear symphonic music of the highest quality."

Music Director Pietari Inkinen says:

"I am so proud of the NZSO - and I really think that all New Zealanders should be too. The Orchestra is going from strength to strength and the standing ovations we received in China during the Beijing Olympic Cultural Festival are testimony to the excitement and polish of NZSO performances. This Orchestra is a national treasure."

View the NZSO's Concerts and Tours

ENDS

© Scoop Media