Sometimes, when listening to performances of music one knows and loves, one has to try to come to terms with interpretations markedly different to one's own ideas. Common sense suggests that this is a healthy process to take part in - and, after all, to expect uniformity or even conformity of music-making or listening across different performances would be unrealistic, let alone undesirable. And music-making which goes against the... read more

Avie Records and its NZ distributor Ode Records will have pleased Wellington concertgoers enormously with a recent pair of CD recordings (available separately) featuring pianist Simon Trpčeski and conductor Vasily Petrenko in the music of Rachmaninov - all four Piano Concertos and the Rhapsody on Theme of Paganini. Of course, both Simon Trpčeski and Vasily Petrenko have been recent guest artists with the NZSO, though not performing together -... read more

This recording commemorates the first performance outside the Ukraine of Boris Pigovat's Requiem, given by violist Donald Maurice, with the Vector Wellington Orchestra conducted by Marc Taddei, on November 9th, 2008 at the Michael Fowler Centre, Wellington. The composer, whose grandparents and aunt were victims of the Babiy Yar tragedy in 1941, when thousands of German Jews were massacred in cold blood by the Nazis, had wanted for a... read more

If there's ever a composer who seems to have been "rediscovered" by a fresh generation of performers, then Douglas Lilburn is the one, his music seeming to appeal as readily to today's young players as it did to many of the composer's similarly delighted and steadfast contemporary champions. New recordings of many of Lilburn's major works have appeared over the last few years, a couple of these projects containing substantial... read more

It was unusual for the Wellington Orchestra to be performing  on a Sunday afternoon. The 9/11 date gives a clue - and in fact it's ten years to this very day since New York's World Trade Centre was attacked and destroyed by two hi-jacked terrorist-controlled aircraft. American composer John Adams was commissioned by the New York Philharmonic to write a piece to be performed on the first anniversary of the... read more

The publicity accompanying the New Zealand String Quartet's "Hungarian Rhapsodies" set of concerts made a great thing of the "rhapsodies" designation, bringing into play synonyms such as ecstasy, rapture, bliss, enthusiasm and great joy - but upon hearing the first of the two programs I would have just as enthusiastically endorsed the "Hungarian" part of the description, especially in the context of the Quartet's characterful and atmospheric playing. Particularly... read more

Watching those beautiful, youthful faces totally engrossed in and engaged by the music-making throughout the 2011 NZSO National Youth Orchestra's Wellington concert on Friday evening, I found myself briefly imagining I had become a camera, and was able to capture for posterity those precious images of  "golden lads and girls" revelling in an evening's unique moment in time. I suspect that it was all enhanced by the venue -... read more

It was a points decision, and a close call, but most who attended the opening night of NBR New Zealand Opera's double-header of CAV and PAG would, I think, have agreed that the latter (Pagliacci), boxing far above its weight on the night, landed too many telling counter-punches for the big guns of its glamorous rival (Cavalleria) - Intermezzo or no Intermezzo! Both operas gave their supporters plenty of... read more