Experience Out-Of-This-World Music With The NZSO And Star Violinist

The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra is joined by Grammy-nominated German violinist Christian Tetzlaff in November for a stellar evening of music, including Gustav Holst’s beloved The Planets.

Tetzlaff, likened to “a rockstar” (Der Tagesspiegel), makes his NZSO debut performing Edward Elgar’s passionate and complex Violin Concerto.

The Planets: Elgar & Holst is performed in Wellington and Auckland with the orchestra lead by NZSO Artistic Advisor and Principal Conductor Gemma New.

“Christian is one of the most visceral, exceptional artists on the planet,” says New. “The violin sounds like a living creature under him; it is captivating and magical to experience his music making.”

New opens the concert with a music written as a contemporary companion piece to The Planets by celebrated Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho. Her 2005 work Asteroid 4179: Toutatis was inspired by the asteroid with an orbit which passes closest to Earth.

The Planets, composed between 1914 and 1917, features seven movements relating to the character of a planet from the Solar System. ‘Jupiter – The Bringer of Jollity,’ ‘Mars – The Bringer of War’ and ‘Neptune – The Mystic,’ are abiding favourites and influenced composers, including film music legend John Williams.

“The Planets is not so much about the worlds beyond, as it is about what lies within. Each movement paints a human being, dripping with personality, emotion, and psychology,” says New.

‘Neptune – The Mystic’ includes an atmospheric performance by Voices New Zealand Chamber Choir.

Before The Planets concerts, Christian Tetzlaff will perform a solo recital in Christchurch on 20 November featuring works by Bach and Bartók.

Tickets to The Planets are available via Ticketmaster. The Wellington performance will be livestreamed on streaming platform NZSO+.

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