Spring Season a diverse mix

22 October 2004

Spring Season a diverse mix

November brings with it the Auckland Philharmonia’s annual Minter Ellison Rudd Watts Spring Season, three consecutive Friday night concerts, each with a different theme. Experience the passion of the Italian opera in Jealousy & Rage, the pomp and ceremony of English favourites in Proms & Planets, and the rousing sounds of Russia in Cossacks & Cannons – all three concerts feature Peruvian Maestro Miguel Harth-Bedoya on the podium.

The first concert, on 12 November, is an operatic showstopper. Jealousy & Rage – Italian Opera in Concert features a semi-staged concert performance of Leoncavallo’s classic, Pagliacci. New Zealand tenor Simon O’Neill heads the cast which also includes New Zealand soprano Deborah Wai Kapohe, and fresh from the Metropolitan Opera in New York, American baritones Brian Mulligan and Blake Davidson. As a prelude to this opera performance Intermezzi by Mascagni and Preludes and Overtures by Verdi will be performed.

Proms & Planets – A Celebration of English Music, on 19 November, features music that would easily fit within a Proms concert. Guest soloist is violinist Eugene Lee who recently won the 2004 Young Musician of the Year Competition where he demonstrated that he is not only a virtuoso of incredible skill but also a strong and mature interpreter. He performs Elgar’s romantic Salut d’amour and Vaughan Williams’ hauntingly beautiful The Lark Ascending. Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance, Walton’s Crown Imperial March and five movements from Holst’s The Planets complete this popular programme.

The final concert in the series, on 26 November, is a concert of Russian favourites. Cossacks & Cannons – A Russian Spring Festival features 2004 Sydney International Piano Competition winner John Chen as the soloist in Prokofiev’s popular Piano Concerto No.1, a perfect vehicle to celebrate this young Auckland pianist’s outstanding achievement. Also in this concert is Rimsky-Korsakov’s Russian Easter Festival Overture, a monumental piece with depictions of great tolling bells;

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Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, orchestrated by Rimsky-Korsakov and his pupil Toushmaloff – a very special and increasingly popular arrangement of this work; and one of the most popular Russian compositions of all time, Tchaikovsky’s powerful 1812 Overture.

Join the Auckland Philharmonia, conductor Miguel Harth-Bedoya and guest artists for a celebration of vibrant and accessible music: the Minter Ellison Rudd Watts Spring Season. Jealousy & Rage – Friday 12 November, 8pm, Town Hall Proms & Planets – Friday 19 November, 8pm, Town Hall Cossacks & Cannons – Friday 26 November, 8pm, Town Hall Adult tickets $35-$95; concessions available (service fees may apply). Phone the Ticketek Orchestra Hotline on 307 5139 or visit www.ticketek.co.nz

The Minter Ellison Rudd Watts Spring Season is proudly sponsored by Minter Ellison Rudd Watts, the Official Law Firm to the Auckland Philharmonia. The Auckland Philharmonia receives major funding from Creative New Zealand and a major grant from Auckland City.

ENDS

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