A Rare Musical Opportunity with Opus Orchestra Wind Players

Indulge in a Rare Musical Opportunity

The wind players of Opus Orchestra are frequently complimented by reviewers for their gorgeous solo lines, and this Sunday, Taupo audiences will have a rare opportunity to hear them perform together in a stunning wind-only programme.

Included in the line-up of instruments is the rather intriguing basset horn. Basset horns are endangered species, and there are very few working pairs in New Zealand. Opus is extremely grateful to Bill Taylor of Tauranga, who refurbished his pair especially for their concert.

A member of the clarinet family but with a darker sound, the basset horn was probably invented around 1770, and Mozart was one of the key composers to utilise it. Mozart had a great love for woodwind and horns, and the programme will feature his remarkable ‘Gran Partita’. This work expertly utilises the characters of the different wind instruments in an unquestionably sublime work that continues to endear audiences.

Dvorak’s graceful Serenade in D minor is filled with Slavonic folk rhythms and harmonies, and stands proud as a well-loved work for both players and audience alike. Strauss composed his youthful Serenade in E-flat major, full of charm and vivacity, at just 17 years of age. While Strauss’s Serenade is less well-known than Dvorak’s, it is nonetheless a recognised masterpiece.

Opus Winds, an ensemble of professional musicians, under the baton of Maestro Peter Walls, will bring this wonderful programme to three new venues next weekend – Waikato Museum on Friday 22nd, Tauranga Art Gallery on Saturday 23rd, and St Andrew’s Church Taupo on Sunday 24th September. Tickets are available at www.orchestras.org.nz. School children are free.

ENDS

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