Stravinsky - Oedipus Rex & Symphony of Psalms

MUSIC: NZ/US

FESTIVAL OPENING NIGHT

Stravinsky masterworks

A dazzling double bill of Stravinsky masterworks opens the 2012 New Zealand International Arts Festival. One of the world’s outstanding young conductors, Joana Carneiro, joins the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, acclaimed opera soloists and the NBR New Zealand Opera’s Chapman Tripp Opera Chorus for Stravinsky: Oedipus Rex/Symphony of Psalms.

This gala night offers audiences the opportunity to hear this rarely performed double bill, which balances the sorrow of Oedipus’ fate with the redemptive chorus of Symphony of Psalms. Performed together, Oedipus Rex and Symphony of Psalms is a tribute to Stravinsky’s diversity and instinct for the theatrical.

For Oedipus Rex, opera soloists include Stuart Skelton, acknowledged as one of the finest heroic tenors of his generation, as Oedipus; Margaret Medlyn, one of Australasia’s finest singers, as Jocasta; the richly sonorous bass of Martin Snell as Tiresias, the soothsayer; and the imposing voice of Daniel Sumegi as Creon, brother to the king. With live narration alongside the choral work, Oedipus Rex promises to enthral from its first explosive chorus to its heart-rending finale.

With its majestic power and sense of exaltation, Symphony of Psalms has been described as one of Stravinsky’s most impressive works. The 40-strong Chapman Tripp Opera Chorus of the NBR New Zealand Opera and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra will be led by Joana Carneiro, known for her vibrant performances in a wide diversity of musical styles. Portugal-based Carneiro conducted Oedipus Rex and Symphony of Psalms at the 2010 Sydney Festival, winning the Helpmann Award for Best Symphony Orchestra Concert. She is currently the Music Director of the Berkeley Symphony.

Stravinsky: Oedipus Rex/Symphony of Psalms is at the Michael Fowler Centre on 24 February for the 2012 New Zealand International Arts Festival, Wellington, 24 February – 18 March. Tickets $38 – $148 available from Ticketek.

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