This was a recital, I had thought, that would have been considered one of the real highlights of the festival and... read more

It has been traditional to use the cathedral's lighting possibilities as dusk falls to capture a special atmosphere, usually in a concert involving a voice or voices. For the first time I was sitting on the side, from which the stage was largely obscured by one of the massive romanesque pillars. Keith Lewis was not visible during any of his four arias. It was not so important since in the... read more

This lunchtime concert was a showcase for clarinettist James Campbell. In contrast with his problematic work in a Mozart Quintet on Sunday, this was an unmitigated triumph. Apart from the opening... read more

The evening concert offered no further obeissance to the national day. Instead, it was given over to two rather contrasting parts, returning the the universal instead of the parochial. In the first part strings were in the spotlight, together with clarinettist James Campbell; in the second British pianist Martin Roscoe played. Campbell explained his adaptation of Mozart's String Quintet K 406, for clarinet and strings. Since there were few chamber... read more

A concert to mark Waitangi Day in appropriate fashion took place at lunchtime in the Nelson School of Music. It was given over to wind instruments, driven no doubt by the decision to feature Maori instruments, taonga puoro, largely wind. The first piece for taonga puoro had been commissioned by Richard Nunns from Martin Lodge, but illness had stopped Martin from getting past a few sketches. Recent studies by Nunns... read more

For those who knew their music, this was a rare treat. Dvořák's string sextet is a rich and gorgeous piece, one of those pieces that has familiar moments but is surprisingly neglected. Is it really too hard to get the necessary six player together? The sextet gains it special sonority and interest both from the more complex textures available and the addition of two lower instruments, an extra viola... read more

The Eleventh Adam Chamber Music Festival began with a gala dinner and concert at the Woollaston Winery out of Nelson with musical contributions from all the musicians present at that point; the New Zealand String Quartet whose first violinist and violist are the festival's artistic directors; Canadian clarinettist James Campbell joined the quartet to play Weber's Clarinet Quintet; special treat throughout the 10-day festival, of a fast rising Russian... read more

The 1pm concert at St John’s on Monday featured both quartets in a special programme offering an example of Mendelssohn’s devotion to his predecessors. Having heard the first quartet, Op 12, on the Sunday, a work in which Beethoven’s influence is clear enough, this concert was specifically devoted to playing Beethoven’s Quartet in A minor, Op 132 on which Mendelssohn’s String Quartet No 2, Op 13 was modelled. Gillian Ansell... read more

The first phase of the mini-Mendelssohn festival featured the Prazak Quartet, Piers Lane and other musicians. Cellist Rolf Gjelsten was the first of the others, playing Mendelssohn’s Cello Sonata, Op 38, with Piers Lane; it’s a wonderful, ripe, joyous work of fearful difficulty. Mendelssohn is in his characteristic scherzo vein right from start; the score, filled with melody, drives both players through high-speed, finger-breaking gymnastics. The quintessential Romantic, even... read more