Unique NZSO tour takes to regions
The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra will spend several days in the Waikato in March presenting two distinct evening concert programmes and a mix of daytime performances and community activities.
It’s part of an innovative new tour called Setting Up Camp where the NZSO presents multiple concerts, workshops and community activities in Greater Wellington, Palmerston North, Tauranga and Hamilton.
In a first for the orchestra, players will split into three groups to offer performances and community activities. Audiences will be able to enjoy the music of Bach, Beethoven and get up close with the orchestra.
The programme includes Goldberg Variations, directed by NZSO Concertmaster Vesa-Matti Leppa¨ nen, presenting J S Bach’s baroque masterpiece with the variations performed on a variety of instruments.
Realising Beethoven, led by NZSO Principal Conductor in Residence Hamish McKeich, celebrates the 250th anniversary of the composer’s birth. The concert presents a selection of Beethoven’s works alongside his influences and works by composers he inspired.
The daytime activities include performances in schools, masterclasses and other community engagement. Side by Side” run in conjunction with local ensembles in each centre, will give young and non-professional musicians the opportunity to play alongside the NZSO.
A series of relaxed concerts in Palmerston North, Tauranga and Hamilton has been designed for audiences who may feel uncomfortable in a traditional concert environment, including people with autism, sensory and communication disorders or a learning disability.
“The NZSO exists to bring world-class orchestral music to all New Zealanders. We are always looking at innovative ways to reach new audiences who may otherwise never have a chance to enjoy their national orchestra,” says NZSO Education Manager Simon Brew.
“Rather than a traditional whistle-stop tour, Setting Up Camp is the NZSO spending all day, and some cases three days, in each city performing and engaging with different communities and age groups. We offer a terrific mix of concerts and new ways to meet and interact with us. We’re excited and we know audiences will be too.”
Realising Beethoven features the composer’s powerful Egmont Overture and the best movements from his Third and Seventh symphonies, Wagner’s rousing The Flying Dutchman Overture, Berlioz’s beautiful Overture to Béatrice et Bénédict, New Zealand composer John Psathas’ bold Tarantismo and more.
The concert will include narration by NZSO players, with stories and insights on Beethoven and the other composers.
■ Tickets for Tauranga and Hamilton: ticketek.co.nz