NZSO’s 75th Anniversary Gala To Feature Crowd-curated Favourites

The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra’s 75th anniversary gala concert will include four exhilarating pieces of music chosen in advance by the audience.

Jubilee on 9 September in Wellington includes performances of Shostakovich’s Festive Overture Mozart’s Flute Concerto No. 2, Sibelius’ Violin Concerto and Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty Suite.

The four works were the most popular voted for by ticket holders to the gala concert from a selection of 20 orchestral works by a variety of composers, ranging from Dvořák to Vaughan Williams.

NZSO Concertmaster and First Violinist Vesa-Matti Leppänen will be the soloist for the second movement of Sibelius’ revered Violin Concerto. For performances of two movements from Mozart’s monumental Flute Concerto, NZSO Section Principal Flute Bridget Douglas is the soloist.

The concert, conducted by NZSO Artistic Advisor and Principal Conductor Gemma New, includes performances of two uplifting classical masterpieces: Ravel’s Bolero and Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio Espagnol.

Acclaimed works by two contemporary New Zealand composers are also performed: A Bugle Will Do by Anthony Ritchie and Rainphase by Salina Fisher.

Ritchie’s piece takes its title and inspiration from New Zealand war hero Sir Charles Upham, who when asked if he would want a state funeral replied, “a bugle will do.” Commissioned by the NZSO to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, it was first performed in 1996.

Fisher’s critically celebrated and award-winning work, written while NZSO National Youth Orchestra Composer-in-Residence, was inspired by “the beauty and chaos of Wellington rain”.

Jubilee, presented in Association with Summerset Retirement Villages, will be filmed and streamed later in 2022.

As part of the NZSO’s 75th anniversary celebrations, the Orchestra will also have a free series of events throughout the day at Wellington’s Michael Fowler Centre.

NZSO Open Doors features Tamariki Time, two whānau-friendly concerts by NZSO National Youth Orchestra players at 10.30am and 1pm, which include Storytime, where a favourite New Zealand children’s story is read to original music by composer Claire Cowan.

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