The Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra were kind enough to invite me to their 2013 Season Launch last night. We heard the orchestra play various snippets from their upcoming season and got to find out a bit more about what they will be performing and also about a lot of their very admirable work in the community. Here's five reasons to be excited about their upcoming season:
1. The Rake's Progress - Next year's Westpac Opera in Concert is, unexpectedly, Stravinsky's Rake's Progress in its Auckland premiere (it hasn't been seen in New Zealand at all since the late 1960s). This is one of my favourite 20th century operas and the APO are assembling a fine cast including the wonderful young New Zealand soprano Madeleine Pierard as Anne Trulove. She performed Anne's aria last night and it was stunning - clearly enunciated with effortless coloratura. The APO's lean, clear sound should suit Stravinsky's core down to the ground. Cannot wait to hear the whole work!
2. Madeleine Pierard - Ms Pierard will also be appearing in Mahler's 4th Symphony singing the last movement's vision of Heaven. I make no secret of my admiration for Ms Pierard and to have her singing another of my favourite works next year should be a total delight. The Mahler is coupled with the world premiere of Ross Harris's Symphony No. 5, with Australian mezzo-soprano Sally-Anne Russell.
3. Natalia Lomeiko - After her absolutely stunning Berg Concerto last year, Natalia Lomeiko will be returning to Auckland, this time in Bruch's Violin Concerto No. 1. While I can't claim it's my favourite concerto, it should be a crowd-pleaser and I'm keen to hear Ms Lomeiko playing it.
4. War Requiem - In collaboration with the Auckland Festival, the APO will be putting on Britten's monumental requiem with Orla Boylan, Timothy Robinson and Ivan Ludlow in the solo parts. The occasion is the fiftieth anniversary of the Coventry bombing that it commemorates and also the one-hundredth anniversary of Britten's birth.
5. Zemlinsky, Hindemith and Martinu - OK, this is three separate concerts but I'm thrilled to find out we'll be getting one work from each of these unjustly neglected composers next year. Jun Markl will conduct Zemlinsky's Sinfonietta (coupled with the Four Last Songs and Schubert 9), Music Director Eckehard Stier will take on Martinu's Julietta suite (with Rach Concerto No. 2 and the Korngold Symphony in F# (!!)) and we'll hear Hindemith's Cello Concerto played by Johannes Moser in a programme devoted to music of the 1940s. Excruciatingly exciting for a mid-20th century classical music fiend like myself.
This is only scratching the surface of what the APO is offering next year (Steven Osborne, Cameron Carpenter, Nikolai Demidenko and Amy Dickson will all be making appearance, among others). What I really admire about the APO is their adventurous programming (adventurous for New Zealand anyway) - almost every concert has at least one thing I haven't heard live before. You can find out more about their 2013 season on their website here: http://apo.co.nz/concert-events
In other news, I recently went to see New Zealand Opera's Bartered Bride and reviewed it for Bachtrack. You can check that out here: http://www.bachtrack.com/review-new-zealand-opera-bartered-bride-slater
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