Music
Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra announce 2019 series
New Zealand’s full-time professional Metropolitan orchestra, Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra have announced an exciting array of events for their 2019 premier series.
Every season Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra showcase many of the world’s finest classical musicians, and 2019 is no different.
Renowned for its innovation, passion and versatility, the APO collaborates with some of New Zealand’s most inventive artists. Across the year you can see them performing everything from Beethoven to Mozart, and collaborating with circus to showcasing superstar violinists – here are some of the highlights that will be on show.
Fantasy
Conducted by Giordano Bellincampi and performed by violinist Anthony Marwood, this will be a night of bizarre and fantastical storytelling. Wagner kicks off the season with the grand-yet-warm overture to his only comedic opera, Die Meistersinger. From there, British composer Thomas Adès’ Violin Concerto Concentric Paths will showcase his wild, far-ranging imagination through this dazzling concerto written specifically for Marwood. Finally, the strange, deliriously romantic, and irresistibly exciting Symphonie fantastique will showcase the wonder of Berlioz and his interesting recovery from a failed love affair.
Thursday 14 February @ 8pm – Auckland Town Hall
Musical Postcards
One of Australia’s most acclaimed and recognised pianists Tamara-Anna Cislowska and conductor Giordano Bellincampi will take audiences on a magical trip around the world. First, with Gershwin’s love song to the Paris of the Twenties – An American in Paris. Audiences will then be transported to Jazz Age New York as Cislowska performs Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. Finally, we’ll land in sun-drenched Spain, with Falla’s ballet of village life The Three-Cornered Hat.
Thursday 21 February @ 7.30pm – Auckland Town Hall
Beethoven’s Triple
Together, violinist Tianwa Yang, cellist Gabriel Schwabe, and pianist Nicholas Rimmer – alongside conductor Giordano Bellincampi – will showcase a rare performance of Beethoven’s lightest, most charming concerto, Triple Concerto. Be amazed and excited as these three superb soloists play off each other and the APO. They will also perform Bruckner’s Symphony No. 7, a piece he dedicated to the memory of his idol, Wagner.
Thursday 28 February @ 8pm – Auckland Town Hall
Dahlesque
Join the APO and artist Elise McCann (2016 Helpmann Award Winner, Miss Honey in Matilda the Musical) for a scrumdiddlyumptious musical adventure inspired by the fantastical imagination of Roald Dahl. One of the world’s most popular authors, Dahl’s stories have entertained generations of children – and now with musical arrangements and direction from Stephen Amos his tales of fun, fear, and naughtiness will be brought to musical life. Hear songs from classics such as Matilda the Musical, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, and James and the Giant Peach.
Saturday 11 May @ 11am & 2pm – Auckland Town Hall
The NZ Mix Tape
A series of special guest artists will join conductor David Kay and the APO to perform beloved songs by some of New Zealand’s most iconic songwriters. From Don McGlashan to Supergroove, Prince Tui Teka to Nadia Reid, Crowded House, Dave Dobbyn and Lorde – these are the songs we have sung with our families over BBQs, shared with friends on road trips, and danced to late into the night at parties. The NZ Mix Tape is the APO’s music compilation of who we are and where we live, reflecting memories of childhood, first loves, special places, and the milestones that mark our lives.
Tuesday 11 June @ 8pm – The Civic
Reimagined
To hear an unfamiliar instrument is a revelation, but doubly so when its unexpected depths are revealed by a virtuoso. Wu Man is the preeminent player of the pipa, a Chinese lute, with five Grammy nominations to her name. American composer Lou Harrison – a lifelong devotee of Asian music – wrote the fabulously eclectic Pipa Concerto especially for her. She will also perform the piece that propelled 19-year-old Shostakovich onto the world stage, Symphony No.1, and Stravinsky’s Pulcinella.
Thursday 8 August @ 8pm – Auckland Town Hall
Dawn
After sell-out show Midnight in 2017, the APO is collaborating again with The Dust Palace, Auckland’s leading Circus Theatre company. In an enchanted realm, a young warrior searches for her father before the darkness consumes him. Fighting back the shadows, she is pushed to the limits of her bravery. In the darkest hour, we all fear the morning might not arrive. Alongside a dazzling display of cirque artistry, the orchestra sets the scene – from the subtle drama of Handel’s beautiful Sarabande, to Respighi’s quirky portrait of ‘The Nightingale’.
Friday 11 October @ 8pm – ASB Theatre, Aotea Centre || Saturday 12 October @ 2pm – ASB Theatre, Aotea Centre
Conflict & Triumph
The extraordinarily talented young New Zealand violinist and composer, Salina Fisher, was the youngest ever winner of The SOUNZ Contemporary Award, and she’s won it again since. We are eagerly waiting to hear what she’s got in store for us in her new piece. APO favourite violinist Ning Feng returns with Beethoven’s titanic concerto, one of the summits of the violinist’s repertoire. Giordano Bellincampi continues his survey of his compatriot Carl Nielsen’s music with this remarkable symphony. The then-recent First World War is echoed in staggeringly violent music, with a rogue snare drum doing its best to upend the orchestra.
Thursday 14 November @ 8pm – Auckland Town Hall
Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra’s Premier Series will run from Thursday 14 February until Thursday 14 November. See all events and tickets at Ticketmaster.co.nz.
