NZTrio Unveils Two New Works on CMNZ Tour

NZTrio Unveils Two New Works on CMNZ Tour

New Zealand’s leading chamber music ensemble, the NZTrio presents two world premieres in their Chamber Music New Zealand 10-centre concert tour this month.

The NZTrio and Chamber Music New Zealand have commissioned a new work from New Zealand-born composer Judy Bailey titled ‘So Many Rivers’ and Australian composer Stuart Greenbaum’s new piece ‘The Year Without A Summer’ will also have its first performances on the tour which begins in Hamilton on Sunday 18 April.

The NZTrio tour is part of Chamber Music New Zealand’s ‘Kaleidoscopes’ Concert Season 2010 and includes concerts in Auckland, Palmerston North, New Plymouth, Wellington, Napier, Christchurch, Invercargill, Nelson and Dunedin.

The NZTrio is committed to performing works by New Zealand composers and music from the Pacific Rim alongside classic pieces in the trio repertoire. The trio is one of the country’s largest commissioners of new works and pianist Sarah Watkins says the ensemble is excited to be presenting two new pieces as part of the Chamber Music New Zealand tour.

“They are two very different, but complementary works and they are both easily digestible.”

Sarah says Judy Bailey’s piece is a “gorgeous piece which is a reflection on life and the way life takes twists and turns. It’s unlike anything we’ve commissioned before.

“Judy is best known as a jazz pianist, but has been writing for more traditional ensembles and bridges the gap between jazz and classical. In this new piece you can hear the jazz influence.”

The new Stuart Greenbaum work ‘The Year Without A Summer’ is the result of the Trans-Tasman composer exchange through the Australian Music Centre and SOUNZ and is written for and dedicated to the NZTrio.

Sarah says the two-movement work was inspired by a volcanic eruption in Indonesia in 1815 which was four times as big as Krakatoa and had such a dramatic effect on the atmosphere that the sun wasn’t seen for a year.

“The first movement is dramatic and rhythmic and you can imagine the eruption, while the second movement is more reflective.”

Creating the work was quite a different process for the NZTrio who worked closely with Stuart over the course of a week. “It was fantastic. We were able to play around with different registers and articulations and that level of involvement certainly makes us feel a real part of this piece.”

Stuart is travelling to New Zealand for the Hamilton and Auckland concerts.

The NZTrio performs two programmes as part of Chamber Music New Zealand’s Kaleidoscopes Concert Season 2010 with the Judy Bailey and Stuart Greenbaum pieces in both programmes. Programme One also includes Robert Schumann’s Piano Trio No 1 in D minor, together with Mozart and Arvo Pärt’s reverent response to a sublime piano adagio. This programme will be performed in Hamilton, Napier, Wellington, Dunedin and Invercargill.

The second programme, performed in Auckland, New Plymouth, Palmerston North, Nelson and Christchurch, includes colourful trios by Spanish composer Turina and leading American composer Jennifer Higdon.

The NZTrio opens its Chamber Music New Zealand tour in Hamilton on Sunday 18 May at the WEL Energy Trust Academy of Performing Arts Theatre and then performs concerts in Auckland, Palmerston North, New Plymouth, Wellington, Napier, Christchurch, Invercargill, Nelson and Dunedin. Full tour details are available at www.chambermusic.co.nz

ENDS

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