Canvases Inspired By Music To Debut In Concert

Canvases Inspired By Music To Debut In Auckland Concert

Large scale paintings by acclaimed New Zealand artist Philip Trusttum will have their first public viewing in Auckland as part of the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra’s concert Exhibition Opening at the Town Hall on 25 February.

Eight paintings from Mr Trusttum’s Pictures from an Exhibition series, on loan from the James Wallace Arts Trust, will be hung inside the Auckland Town Hall on the day of the APO’s season opener.

Performed as part of the APN News & Media Premier Series, the concert features Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No.3 and Corigliano’s The Mannheim Rocket under the baton of APO Music Director, Eckehard Stier.

Mr Trusttum’s dynamic and vividly-coloured paintings were inspired directly by Mussorgsky’s famous composition Pictures at an Exhibition, which was itself based on watercolours by the composer’s friend, Viktor Hartmann. The paintings from the Pictures from an Exhibition series have been exhibited in Christchurch, Dunedin and Hamilton, receiving very positive notices from the NZ Listener and Art New Zealand.

The well-respected art historian – presently an APO Board Member – Jonathan Mane-Wheoki was pivotal to the creation the works, having approached Philip Trusttum to produce paintings to accompany an organ performance of Pictures at an Exhibition in Christchurch. Seeking an artist who could “draw analogies between sound and light and colour,” Dr Mane-Wheoki says he was ultimately delighted that the artist “applied himself to the task with extraordinary vigour and joy. The result was remarkable – a resonant, ‘symphonic’ suite of paintings.”

Philip Trusttum says he is “very pleased” by the James Wallace Arts Trust and the APO’s decision to display the works during the concert, believing the musical and visual Pictures can be appreciated for their individual values.

“Painting is not music, and music is not painting. A painting will not change once displayed. Music once performed is a memory, and will change when performed again. For this reason I sometimes find music more exciting.”

The Arts Trust of avid art collector James Wallace, who is also a Patron of the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, has the largest collection of Philip Trusttum’s works.

“The Arts Trust is a major patron, owning over 220 works of mine,” says Mr Trusttum. Of James Wallace himself, the artist adds, “We enjoy music together.”

What: APN News & Media Premier Series: Exhibition Opening
When: 25 February, 8:00pm
Where: Auckland Town Hall, THE EDGE
Book: THE EDGE 09 357 3355 or www.buytickets.co.nz
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