The playing of the ‘Wild Reeds’ was wonderfully uplifting right from the start of their programme.  It may have been a wild wind with rain outside, but this ensemble, far from being wild, was precise and euphonious. The Rameau work was delightful in its several contrasting movements that contained solos, with mainly harmony on the other instruments.  The pieces were an arrangement of a Rameau keyboard work. The printed programme had... read more

It seemed as if I had barely recovered my poise and equilibrium in the wake of Sofya Gulyak's stupendous recital at the NZSM's Adam Concert Room in Wellington not a week beforehand, before encountering another wonderful pianist from the Russian Federation. This was Halida Dinova, originally from Tatarstan, and currently living and teaching in Cleveland, USA, where she studied at the Institute of Music. From these somewhat far-flung worlds she... read more