Borodin Quartet Headlines Chamber Music Season

Media Release: Strictly Embargoed To 6am 8 October 2009

Borodin Quartet Headlines Chamber Music New Zealand’s Diamond Anniversary Season for 2010

Chamber Music New Zealand has today announced its Diamond Anniversary season for 2010, celebrating its 60th birthday year with seven stunning concert tours presenting performers from Russia, Australia, Czech Republic, England, Europe and a superb line-up of New Zealand musicians.

Headlining the Kaleidoscopes Concert Season 2010 is one of the most revered ensembles in modern history, Russia’s Borodin Quartet who will perform in 10 centres throughout the country in March opening the tour with a concert in Wellington as part of the 2010 New Zealand International Arts Festival.

Chamber Music New Zealand chief executive Euan Murdoch says it’s been 17 years since the Borodin Quartet (pictured) last performed in New Zealand and this tour, in collaboration with the New Zealand International Arts Festival, is very special.

"Hearing the Borodins live in concert connects us to the source of Russia's musical legacy with all its attendant complexities and triumphs. What better way is there to celebrate our 60th anniversary than to open the season with the unrivalled authority of this wonderful quartet," Euan says.

New Zealand International Arts Festival artistic director Lissa Twomey says the Festival is delighted to kick off Chamber Music New Zealand’s 60th anniversary celebrations.

“We welcome the Borodin Quartet to play alongside some of New Zealand’s greatest chamber musicians in the context of the 2010 Festival.”

Euan adds that Chamber Music New Zealand has been able to secure the Borodin Quartet for a tour to 10 centres around New Zealand. “We are absolutely committed to bringing the very best in chamber music to our audiences throughout New Zealand and we’re thrilled to present the Borodin Quartet in centres from Auckland to Invercargill.”

As well as the Wellington concert on Saturday 6 March, the Borodin Quartet will perform in Nelson, Dunedin, Christchurch, Invercargill, Auckland, Hamilton, Napier, Palmerston North and New Plymouth.

In fact, Euan says, all but one of the Chamber Music New Zealand 2010 tours has concerts in these 10 main centres. “We really are excited about our Diamond Anniversary season and being able to bring world-class performers to all audiences around the country.”

Following the Borodin Quartet will be tours by the NZTrio (April/May), The Wallfisch Band featuring Libby Wallfisch (May), 2009 Michael Hill International Violin Competition winner Josef Špaček (June/July), Britain’s Doric String Quartet with pianist Piers Lane (September), The Song Company (October) and ‘Schubertiade’, a special 60th birthday celebration concert with the New Zealand String Quartet and Michael Houstoun featuring three favourite works by Schubert.

The acclaimed NZTrio April/May tour with Chamber Music New Zealand features a programme including two Schumann piano trios alongside new commissions from composers Judy Bailey and Stuart Greenbaum. The tour opens in Hamilton and coincides with the release of the trio’s new CD.

In May, CMNZ takes a musical journey back to the magic and mystery of early 18th-century Venice where carnivals and pageantry provide entertainment to the wealthy aristocrats, and glorious music commissioned by the church added to the colourful musical tapestry of the time. The Wallfisch Band, featuring world-class violinist Elizabeth Wallfisch, bring history to life in this special concert series in Wellington, Napier, Hamilton and Auckland in May.

Every second year Chamber Music New Zealand delights in taking the winner of the previous year’s Michael Hill International Violin Competition on a nationwide tour with performances in 15 centres.In June and July 2010, Czech Republic violinist Josef Špaček will perform recitals accompanied by New Zealand’s leading pianist Michael Houstoun.

The programme for Josef’s recitals weave music from diverse cultures and traditions stretching back nearly 300 years to Bach’s famous Chaconne and forward to the 21st century with Gareth Farr’s Wakatipu, a piece commissioned especially for the 2009 competition.

Britain’s award-winning Doric String Quartet, together with London-based pianist Piers Lane, heads to New Zealand in September.

The Doric String Quartet, brought to New Zealand in partnership with the Royal Over-Seas League, was founded 12 years ago and is firmly established as one of the outstanding quartets of their generation. In 2008 they won first prize at the Osaka International Chamber Music Competition in Japan and second prize in the Premio Paolo Borciani Competition in Italy.

Their programme with Piers Lane features giants of the Romantic repertoire – two piano quintets by Schumann and Brahms, together with exquisite solo piano works paying homage to Chopin 200 years after his birth.

Chamber Music New Zealand celebrates the voice as an instrument with its October tour by Australian ensemble The Song Company performing two programmes –‘The Seasons’ features composers as diverse as Heinrich Schutz and Paul McCartney to reflect our relationship with the influences of the seasons; while ‘Sweet Dreams’ melds madrigals and songs from Medieval and Renaissance times with modern works including new work by New Zealand composer Jack Body.

The final concert in Chamber Music New Zealand’s 2010 season is a 60th anniversary celebration ‘Schubertiade’ in October/November with the New Zealand String Quartet and Michael Houstoun. An ‘unofficial’ survey of CMNZ subscribers voted five Schubert works in the top 20 most popular chamber music pieces. Two of these all-time favourites feature in this programme – The Trout and Notturno.

Subscriber tickets for Chamber Music New Zealand’s Kaleidoscopes Concert Season 2010 celebrating the Diamond Anniversary are now on sale and the full programme is available at www.chambermusic.co.nz

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

CHAMBER MUSIC NEW ZEALAND 2010 ‘DIAMOND ANNIVERSARY’ SEASON

THE BORODIN QUARTET – RUSSIAN LEGACY

6-19 March

Wellington, Nelson, Dunedin, Christchurch, Invercargill, Auckland, Hamilton, Napier, Palmerston North, New Plymouth

NZTRIO

18 April - 4 May

Hamilton, Auckland, Palmerston North, New Plymouth, Wellington, Napier, Christchurch, Invercargill, Nelson, Dunedin

THE WALLFISCH BAND – VENETIAN CARNIVAL

Featuring Elizabeth Wallfisch

20-24 May

Wellington, Napier, Hamilton, Auckland

MICHAEL HILL INTERNATIONAL VIOLIN COMPETITION WINNER’S TOUR: Josef Špaček with Michael Houstoun

20 June –18 July

Waikanae, Dunedin, Invercargill, Christchurch, Motueka, Wellington, Palmerston North, Auckland, Whangarei, Nelson, Rotorua, Whakatane, Napier, Hamilton and New Plymouth

DORIC STRING QUARTET WITH PIERS LANE

4-18 September

Wellington, Invercargill, Christchurch, Dunedin, Nelson, Auckland, Palmerston North, New Plymouth, Napier and Hamilton

THE SONG COMPANY – THE SEASONS AND SWEET DREAMS

2–17 October

Invercargill, Christchurch, New Plymouth, Napier, Auckland, Hamilton, Dunedin, Palmerston North, Wellington and Nelson

MICHAEL HOUSTOUN WITH THE NEW ZEALAND STRING QUARTET – SCHUBERTIADE

26 October – 6 November

Napier, Palmerston North, Wellington, Invercargill, Dunedin, Christchurch, Nelson, Auckland, Hamilton, New Plymouth

ENDS

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