New Zealand Opera continues to explore every year or so, as much as it safely can, slightly unfamiliar operas. Their record so far has been unfaltering, and this splendid outing of something a bit on the fringe has maintained the high score. An opera has been revealed that many will have heard of but few expected to see here. This production has put it into the mainstream, into the... read more

This NZSO concert was a show made up of various classy acts - perhaps the sum of its parts were greater than the whole, but those classy parts alone made it all memorable, if not perfect. One of these classy acts was violinist Nicola Benedetti's - she gave a beautifully warm and richly-toned performance of the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto. Another was conductor Miguel Harth-Bedoya's inspired music-making with the orchestra throughout almost... read more