DANIEL VERSTAPPEN, BETH GEORGIOU & MUSIKA COLLECTIVE BY OPELOGE AH SAM

Sunday evening at the Auckland Town Hall is your chance to see some highly dexterous fingers at work when Belgian pianist and composer Daniel Verstappen performs with violinist Beth Georgiou. The pair have taken their Reconnection World Tour through the EU, USA and most recently to the Sydney Opera House before gracing our shores this Sunday. The concert includes classical pieces like The Hall of the Mountain King, Danse Macabre and Swan Lake, as well as Daniel’s original neoclassical compositions. Joining them on stage is Polynesian group the Musika Collective, directed by Samoan New Zealand composer Dr Matatamua Opeloge Ah Sam. It’s set to be a unique evening of classical music coupled with contemporary innovation and virtuoso performance.

April 21, 5pm. Auckland Town Hall, Queen St, Auckland CBD. Tickets $25-$69 + booking fee from aucklandlive.co.nz

TESTIMONY

Classical music enthusiasts, don’t miss the opportunity to see the NZSO’S last performance in the national tour of their Testimony

concert this Saturday. The evening’s programme features music from all corners of the globe: Lilburn’s Diversions for String Orchestra,

Bruckner’s String Quintet, Adagio, Rautavaara’s Pelimannit,

Tchaikovsky’s Andante cantabile, TH63 and Shostakovich’s Chamber Symphony. The closing piece is an arrangement of Shostakovich’s Eighth String Quartet, written in response to the bombing of Dresden in 1945. If you get there nice and early, you can catch a pre-concert talk led by violinist Jessica Oddie who will discuss “how music is a testimony of its time…” and specifically how Shostakovic’s Chamber Symphony speaks to the era in which it was written. Resist the urge to laze away your Saturday night on the couch and get some last minute tickets to the NZSO. April 20, 7.30pm (pre-talk 6.45pm in the Supper Room). Auckland Town Hall, Queen St, Auckland CBD. Tickets start at $17 + booking fee from ticketmaster.co.nz