NZSO maestro picks up the bow for double concerto debut

12 October 2012

NZSO Media Release for immediate release

NZSO maestro picks up the bow for double concerto debut with Concertmaster

NZSO Music Director, Pietari Inkinen, puts down his baton and picks up his violin bow to take on the role of violin soloist as part of the next exciting NZSO tour Beethoven 7.

Highlighting the impressive breadth of maestro Inkinen’s extraordinary talents, he will perform J. S. Bach’s Concerto for Two Violins alongside virtuosic NZSO Concertmaster Vesa-Matti Leppänen.

Our two Finnish stars will deftly weave overlapping phrases of counterpoint, unveiling the beauty and emotion of Bach’s sublime concerto, one of his most well-known and beloved compositions. This is a rare opportunity to witness Inkinen and Leppänen perform music that finds a perfect balance between each soloist, together in harmony with the Orchestra.

“There is normally a conductor on the podium when a concerto soloist performs,” says maestro Pietari Inkinen. “However, we will play the Bach double without a conductor, creating an environment much like chamber music. This means our communication with the Orchestra will be more intimate and very rewarding for both the Orchestra and ourselves, as soloists.”

This unique concert begins with maestro Inkinen on the podium when he conducts Mozart’s Symphony No. 29. Inspired by a visit to Vienna, Mozart’s Symphony No. 29 is an elegant, landmark composition. Bathed in sunny tonalities, this youthful masterpiece captures the delight and operatic drama that makes Mozart’s music so inviting.

“The most challenging part in this programme is to conduct the Mozart symphony, run to the dressing room, get my fiddle, and run back to the stage to play right away. It will be very exciting,” says Inkinen.

Finally, Beethoven’s glorious Symphony No. 7 will round out the evening’s concert with its dancing rhythms and driving momentum. Composed in the aftermath of the Napoleonic wars, and premiered in 1813 to benefit wounded soldiers, Beethoven’s Seventh is, as Richard Wagner once enthused: “the Apotheosis of the Dance itself”. Music critic E.T.A. Hoffmann wrote that “Beethoven's instrumental music sets in motion the lever of fear, of awe, of horror, of suffering, and wakens just that infinite longing which is the essence of romanticism”.

Embrace this rare opportunity to see the skill of maestro Pietari Inkinen and NZSO Concertmaster Vesa-Matti Leppänen when they team up as soloists with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra to perform some of the most beloved works in the repertoire.

“Dare one say that it is he, Pietari Inkinen, who was the real star of the evening? This young conductor, also a violinist, combines stature and elegance. He knows how to make an orchestra sound.” Le Temps, Geneva

Beethoven 7 and Mahler 7 are presented in association with our National Tour Partner – Radio Network.

Peter Walls will give a free 30-minute talk 45 minutes prior to each concert. For more details about each NZSO pre-concert talk, visit www.nzso.co.nz/talks

ENDS

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