NZTrio’s Ashley Brown

This year’s Loft home series was kicked off by Zoom in June. Can you talk me through the

concept behind Glow and Flare? We always start with the music. We think about what pieces we want to explore and share. Then we see what pieces will work together in a concert in an interesting, challenging or illuminating way. This year, some pieces naturally grouped together into a concert of trio-alone pieces, which contrasted works that we’re all about tiny details and... grand sweeping gestures. The second group of pieces were very much stimulated by our visits to China and the friends and connections we made there. That one includes a collaboration with Xia Jing who will come from China to play the guzheng, a traditional instrument. The third concert is a big team-up with our mate Simon O’Neill who just happens to be an opera megastar. We gave them three concert titles which borrowed a little from photographic techniques and lingo. Musically, Zoom refers to the zooming in on the details and zooming out to notice the big gestures. Glow refers to the ringing warmth and aura around some of the textures and harmonies in the Chinese works. Flare is a play on the boldness, virtuosity and flair shown in the grand-scale works of the third concert.

With three very distinct personalities, how has your music evolved over the years?

Well, we’ve certainly learnt to read each other’s minutest body movements and musical nuances. And I hope that we’ve become a tighter ensemble, even simply by virtue of having spent 14 years or so working so intensely closely

together. But I think we each still bring plenty of individuality into the team and work together with an open investigative spirit to find, create and share something new and interesting.

On that point, when you commission a work or consider a collaboration, what defines your intent?

With commissions, we prefer to give the composer free rein, as much as possible. Normally we simply ask for a piece for us and let the composer and other circumstances dictate any constraints. For instance, there might be a particular concert for which we have decided the rest of the repertoire and are looking for something to complement those works or to provide stark contrast. With collaborations, that question is harder to answer and I think revolves around the particular

personalities involved. But I guess the process always starts with a ‘blue sky’ discussion around what is possible when these artists, groups or genres collide.

There have been too few NZTrio albums over the last decade. Is that a reflection of the music industry in New Zealand?

In our concerts, we normally play something brand new from NZ, some international avantgarde stuff, some unusual older stuff, and probably an old masterpiece. And I have to say we’re always really proud to show off the NZ music. It totally stacks up! In our little corner on the industry, I reckon the creative spirit is strong and healthy.

❚ Ashley Brown is the cello player in NZTrio, performing Loft Series 2– Glow on Sunday, September 25 at 5pm & Tuesday, September 27 at 6:30pm.