NZTrio Brings Old World and New World Together in Tour

NZTrio Brings Old World and New World Together in 10 Centre Concert Tour

Tchaikovsky’s epic piano trio, Korngold’s first piano trio and a brand new work from New Zealand composer Claire Cowan feature in the programme for NZTrio’s 10 centre Chamber Music New Zealand tour.

NZTrio Old World : New World begins its tour in Invercargill on Thursday 2 May, before heading to Dunedin, Nelson, Christchurch, Auckland, New Plymouth, Palmerston North, Napier, Wellington and Hamilton.

“Intensity, playfulness, exoticism and romance – this programme is a mix of pieces that we know really well with lovely fresh new works, and we’re very much looking forward to introducing them to you,” says NZTrio violinist Justine Cormack.

In 2012, NZTrio celebrated their 10th anniversary together and were presented the KBB CANZ award for outstanding services to New Zealand music. The trio has become one of New Zealand’s premier chamber music ensembles.

Two programmes will be performed on the tour and pianist Sarah Watkins says the music chosen showcases the musicians’ talents.

“It is a virtuosic programme combining some of our favourite works with new pieces.”

Two works feature in all 10 concerts – Bright Sheng’s evocative Four Movements, a work which Sarah describes as a favourite of NZTrio, and the new commission from New Zealand composer Claire Cowan, Subtle Dances.

“We performed one of Claire’s works and liked it so much that we wanted one of our own so commissioned this new piece,” Sarah says, adding that the trio received the work at the end of March. “It’s going to be gorgeous.”

Subtle Dances has three movements – Subtle Dances, Be slow and lie low, and Nerve Lines. Each movement features one of the trio’s instruments. Claire says that while she didn’t set out to do this, “it turned out that way. As I improvised on all of the instruments, I found a particularly strong idea presented itself for each of them, which I worked the other parts around.”

Claire says Subtle Dances was influenced by a range of things – poetry, flamenco dancing, meditative states, hypnotic rhythms and reflections on the changes in her life. She says composing a piano trio is “a little tricky. The challenges were to find a way of using the instruments to support each other instead of working against, or competing ... or simply saying the same thing on different instruments.”

The programme for audiences in Dunedin, Nelson, Auckland, Palmerston North and Napier also includes Tchaikovsky’s massive Piano Trio in A minor Opus 50 and American composer Ellen Taaffe Zwilich’s piano trio.

Said to be the most challenging piano part he composed, Sarah admits the Tchaikovsky is “epic, but I think the piano part in his piano concerto is far more difficult. It’s a very emotional work and really satisfying music to play and listen to.”

American composer Ellen Taaffe Zwilich’s piano trio is dynamic and “packs a punch,” says Sarah. “We’ve had it sitting in our library for a long time and we’re really looking forward to performing it on this tour.”

Programme Two, performed in Invercargill, Christchurch, New Plymouth, Wellington and Hamilton, also includes Korngold’s first piano trio – written when he was just 13 – and Shostakovich’s Piano Trio No 2 in E minor, written in 1944 and is as full of exquisitely beautiful, Jewish-inflected melody as it is a searing indictment of Stalinism and the war.

Playing the Korngold piano trio is amazing –“it’s luscious and youthful and it’s astonishing that he was just 13 when he composed it.”

Sarah says the Shostakovich piano trio is special to her – “I remember hearing it when I was a teenager and competing in the Chamber Music Contest and thinking this was one of the most incredible pieces of music ever written.”

NZTrio Old World : New World, featuring Justine Cormack (violin), Ashley Brown (cello) and Sarah Watkins (piano) tours to 10 New Zealand centres from Thursday 2 May to Thursday 16 May. For more information visit www.chambermusic.co.nz

Chamber Music New Zealand acknowledges major funding from Creative New Zealand.

CHAMBER MUSIC NEW ZEALAND 2013 ‘KALEIDOSCOPES’ SEASON: NZTRIO – OLD WORLD : NEW WORLD
Justin Cormack, violin
Ashley Brown, cello
Sarah Watkins, piano

Programme One
Bright Sheng | Four Movements for Piano Trio
Claire Cowan | Subtle Dances (new CMNZ/NZTrio commission)
Ellen Taaffe Zwilich | Piano Trio
Tchaikovsky | Piano Trio in A minor Op 50

Programme Two
Korngold | Piano Trio Op 1
Claire Cowan | Subtle Dances (new CMNZ/NZTrio commission)
Bright Sheng | Four Movements for Piano Trio
Shostakovich | Piano Trio No 2 in E minor Op 67

INVERCARGILL: Civic Theatre | Thursday 2 May 7.30pm | Book at TicketDirect 0800 4TICKET (484 253) www.ticketdirect.co.nz | Programme Two

DUNEDIN: Glenroy Auditorium | Friday 3 May 7.30pm | Book at TicketDirect 0800 4TICKET (484 253) www.ticketdirect.co.nz | Programme One

NELSON: Nelson School of Music | Monday 6 May 7.30pm | Book at TicketDirect 0800 4TICKET (484 253) www.ticketdirect.co.nz | Programme One

CHRISTCHURCH: Middleton Grange Performing Arts Centre| Tuesday 7 May 7.30pm | Book at Ticketek 0800 TICKETEK (842 538) www.ticketek.co.nz | Programme Two

AUCKLAND: Auckland Town Hall, THE EDGE | Wednesday 8 May 8pm | Book at 0800 BUY TICKETS (289 842) www.buytickets.co.nz | Programme One

NEW PLYMOUTH: Theatre Royal, TSB Showplace| Saturday 11 May 7.30pm | Book at Ticketmaster 0800 111 999 www.ticketmaster.co.nz | Programme Two

PALMERSTON NORTH: Speirs Centre | Sunday 12 May 5pm | Book at Dash Tickets 06 350 1922 www.dashtickets.co.nz | Programme One

NAPIER: Municipal Theatre | Monday 13 May 8pm | Book at Ticketek 0800 TICKETEK (842 538) www.ticketek.co.nz| Programme One

WELLINGTON: Wellington Town Hall | Wednesday 15 May 7.30pm | Book at Ticketek 0800 TICKETEK (842 538) www.ticketek.co.nz | Programme Two

HAMILTON: Gallagher Academy of Performing Arts, University of Auckland | Thursday 16 May 7.30pm | Book at Ticketek 0800 TICKETEK (842 538) www.ticketek.co.nz| Programme Two

ENDS

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