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14 December 2018 - NZSO

NZSO to offer more Shed Series concerts and new Baroque Series in 2019

NZSO Concertmaster Vesa-Matti Leppännen and NZSO Associate Conductor Hamish
McKeich. Credit: Stephen A’Court

The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra will tour a new baroque music series in 2019 and expand its innovative Shed Series concerts in Wellington.

The Baroque Series, directed by NZSO Concertmaster Vesa-Matti Leppännen, will perform works by baroque masters Vivaldi, Handel, Telemann, Corelli and others, in Wellington, Auckland, Hamilton and Invercargill.

The Shed Series, which debuted in 2018 at Shed 6 on Wellington’s waterfront, will return for four concerts in 2019. Each concert will offer a mixed programme of works ranging from classical giants to exciting 20th and 21st century composers.

The 2019 series will include works by jazz legend Duke Ellington, John Adams, Bach, Haydn and the New Zealand premiere of a work by Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood. Works by New Zealand composers will include Jack Body and Eve de Castro-Robinson.

“In the laid-back setting of Wellington’s Shed 6 you can get up close to the NZSO as it performs great classics alongside exciting 20th and 21st century compositions,” says Shed Series mastermind and NZSO Associate Conductor Hamish McKeich.

“The Shed Series concerts have a casual, inviting atmosphere. You can sit or stand, catch up with friends and enjoy a drink and something to eat while the Orchestra performs.”

The Series will also include the New Zealand premieres of John Luther Adams’ Become River and Derek Bermel’s Canzonas Americanas and the world premiere of a new work written by oboist Russel Walder, arranged by John Psathas.

The first Shed Series concert, Rebirth, will be held at Shed 6 on 8 February.

Water Music, the first Baroque Series tour, will feature Handel’s and Telemann’s famous Water Music works, beginning in Wellington on 1 February. Water Music will also be performed in Auckland on 14 February and Invercargill on 12 September.

The Night (Auckland, Hamilton and Wellington in June) will feature works by Corelli, Telemann, Fux and Vivaldi. NZSO Section Principal Flutes Bridget Douglas will be the soloist for Vivaldi’s La Notte (The Night) taking on what she considers a rewarding but technically challenging workout.

This year the NZSO’s baroque concert Back to Bach sold out at Wellington’s Cathedral of St Paul.

The Baroque Series will also be performed at the Cathedral of St Paul, and at Auckland’s St-Matthew-in-the-City and Holy Trinity Cathedral, Hamilton’s St Peter’s Cathedral, and Invercargill’s Civic Theatre.

“Where we perform baroque music is also very important. The venues for 2019 were chosen for their intimate settings, atmosphere and acoustics,” says Leppännen.

All the works to be performed in the Baroque Series and Shed Series are listed under each concert entry on the NZSO website.

ENDS

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