Eclectic and electrifying season ahead

30 September 2004

Eclectic and electrifying season ahead

New Zealand¹s largest chamber music presenter Chamber Music New Zealand have revealed the artists who will tour for them in 2005. The 2005 line-up features a selection of superb artists from around the world.

To celebrate the launch of the 2005 season, Chamber Music New Zealand have also updated their website. The new, clean look includes user-friendly navigation services, news and reviews of chamber music events and musicians around the globe.

Chamber Music New Zealand General Manager, Brian Budd says, "The launch of a new season is always an exciting time and we are proud to reveal at last the details of the wonderful musicians who will perform in 2005. The relaunch of our website gives New Zealand audiences a sneak peak of what to expect in 2005 and showcases our New Zealand artists to the rest of the world."

Synonymous with musical innovation, the Kronos Quartet visit New Zealand for the first time in nine years. Kronos have pushed the edge of chamber music repertoire and continue to change the way audiences experience music.

Audiences loved the Shanghai Quartet when they last toured for Chamber Music New Zealand in 1998 and return in June next year to perform a series of "east meets west" concerts. Since their last visit the group have welcomed a new cellist, Nicholas Tzavaras, whose mother¹s East Harlem Violin Project was dramatised in the film "Music of the Heart", featuring Meryl Streep, Gloria Stefan and Angela Bassett.

Dubbed Australia¹s most expressive pianist, Piers Lane performs in recital for Chamber Music New Zealand in April and May next year. Renowned for the beauty and brilliance of his playing, Piers has wooed audiences all over the world with his "filigree charm" (The Times). This long awaited return visit will be Piers¹s third tour for CMNZ, for whom he first toured in 1997.

Chamber Music New Zealand have also included eclectic combinations for music lovers.

Three sports mad Australians make up Dean-Emmerson-Dean, a trio of clarinet, viola and piano who visit our shores in July and August next year. Two of New Zealand¹s finest musicians, Bridget Douglas and Caroline Mills combine as Flight to present other-worldly sounds for flute and harp.

Also in 2005, the New Zealand String Quartet will amplify their instruments and perform George Crumb¹s Black Angels. The piece is possibly the only quartet to have been inspired by the Vietnam War and will include shouting, chanting, whistling, whispering, gongs, maracas, and crystal glasses, producing a surrealistic effect.

>From Germany, Chamber Music New Zealand present the Petersen Quartet and the Tichman-Bieler-Kliegel Piano Trio.

The Petersen Quartet will perform Schubert¹s dramatic work, Death and the Maiden. Schubert wrote the piece after being inspired by a poem of the same name which contrasts the maiden¹s fear of death with death¹s comforting promise of a peaceful slumber. This will be the quartet¹s first visit to New Zealand.

Maria Kliegel, acclaimed cellist with the Tichman-Bieler-Kliegel Piano Trio, plays the legendary "Ex Gendron" cello made by Stradivarius in 1693. This is the first time the group have toured with Chamber Music New Zealand and to mark the occasion, the trio's recordings of the complete Beethoven Trios for Naxos will be released to coincide with their visit.

Chamber Music New Zealand warmly welcome back Michael Houstoun, who will perform his first two-handed piano recitals since being diagnosed with a movement restricting complaint called focal dystonia in his right hand. These intimate recitals will be held in four centres and will be essential for Michael¹s fans.

About Chamber Music New Zealand

Chamber Music New Zealand present local and international chamber music ensembles throughout New Zealand. Their annual Celebrity Season showcases premier international artists, while the Associate Societies programme focuses on New Zealand performers. The New Zealand Community Trust Chamber Music Contest, which celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2005, fosters the musical stars of the future.

Celebrity Season feature artists vary in nationality and style and programmes vary from well-loved classics to challenging contemporary works. All share a high reputation for virtuosity and vitality. Celebrity Season concerts are presented in Auckland, New Plymouth, Napier, Palmerston North, Wellington, Nelson, Christchurch, Dunedin and Invercargill.

The artists are revealed in October to encourage people to subscribe to the concerts and benefit from cheaper ticket prices. Season Passes are now available in all Celebrity Season centres. Alternatively, CMNZ¹s Flexi Pass provides a set number of seats for the Season that can be used at the concerts of your choice. Under 19 and School subscriptions are also available.

For more information or to request a 2005 Celebrity Season brochure ph 0800 CONCERT (266 2378) or visit www.chambermusic.co.nz

In presenting the 2005 Celebrity Season, Chamber Music New Zealand acknowledges major funding from Creative New Zealand.

THE 2005 LINEUP:

Celebrity Season artists

New Zealand String Quartet (New Zealand) Piers Lane (Australia/Britain) Shanghai Quartet (US) Dean-Emmerson-Dean (Australia) Flight (New Zealand) Petersen Quartet (Germany) Tichman-Bieler-Kliegel Piano Trio (Germany)

Special Events

Kronos Quartet (US) Michael Houstoun (New Zealand)

For more information on Chamber Music New Zealand¹s 2005 artists and to organise an interview with General Manager Brian Budd please contact Communications Co-ordinator Rachel Service on (04) 384 6133 or email media@chambermusic.co.nz.

END OF MEDIA RELEASE: ARTIST INFO TO FOLLOW:

KRONOS QUARTET John Sherba, violin, David Harrington, violin, Hank Dutt, viola, Jennifer Culp, cello

The Kronos Quartet are one of the most influential ensembles of the twentieth century and visit New Zealand in 2005 for the first time in nine years. They perform in Auckland as part of the 2005 Auckland Festival AK05 on Wednesday 23 February and in Wellington on Monday 14 March.

Kronos embrace and express a diversity of music and view the concert experience as both visual and aural. With their unique artistic vision and a fearless dedication to experimentation, Kronos continue to change the way audiences experience music and often include multi-media displays in their performances.

Kronos¹ music has featured in films Requiem for a Dream (composed by Phillip Glass), 21 Grams, Heat and True Stories and also in dance, with choreographers like Twyla Tharp setting pieces to Kronos¹ music.

The group are synonymous with musical innovation and have performed live with the likes of icons Allen Ginsberg, the Modern Jazz Quartet, and David Bowie, and have appeared on recordings by Dave Matthews, Nelly Furtado, and Texas yodeler Don Walser.

Kronos Quartet¹s appeal extends to lovers of classical, jazz, rock and world music. Their tour is presented in association with the Endeavour Trust.

"Unswervingly hip" The Washington Post

"The Fab Four of classical music" Rolling Stone

"Kronos have expanded every possible boundary that the quartet tradition has presented" The Strad

Kronos Quartet in concert

Auckland - Wednesday 23 February, Auckland Town Hall, 8pm Presented as part of Auckland Festival AK05

Wellington - Monday 14 March, Wellington Town Hall, 8pm

More information available from:

www.kronosquartet.org

SHANGHAI QUARTET Weigang Li, violin, Yi-Wen Jiang, violin, Nicholas Tzavaras, cello, Honggang Li, viola

Described by international media as musicians who give "the kind of performance composers dream of", the Shanghai Quartet present an Œeast meets west¹ fusion of Chinese and Western works next year.

Audiences loved the Shanghai Quartet when they last toured for Chamber Music New Zealand in 1998, and they return to perform as part of the 2005 Celebrity Season.

Known for passionate musicality, astounding technique and multicultural innovations, the quartet have an elegant style of melding Eastern music with Western repertoire. Included in their programme are works by Beethoven, Brahms, Shostakovich and selections from Chinese folk melodies arranged by the quartet¹s second violinist, Yi-Wen Jiang.

Since the group¹s last visit, they have welcomed a new cellist, Nicholas Tzavaras. Nicholas¹ mother¹s East Harlem Violin Project was dramatised in the film "Music of the Heart", featuring Meryl Streep, Gloria Stefan and Angela Bassett.

Over the last 12 months, the Shanghai Quartet have been working with the Camerata Label in Japan to complete their newest recording, which will be released in October 2004. The disc will include the Dvorák "American" Quartet, op.96, and the Mendelssohn String Octet with the Bartók Quartet.

"Š nothing short of brilliant" Richmond-Times-Dispatch

"Š a foursome of uncommon refinement and musical distinction" The Strad

Shanghai Quartet in concert

Napier - Friday 17 June, Century Theatre Wellington - Saturday 18 June, Wellington Town Hall Dunedin - Monday 20 June, Glenroy Auditorium Christchurch - Tuesday 21 June, James Hay Theatre Auckland - Wednesday 22 June, Auckland Town Hall

All concerts start at 8pm

Programme 1 (Napier, Christchurch & Auckland)

Shostakovich String Quartet No 3 in F Opus 73 Jiang Selections from China Song

Interval

Brahms String Quartet in A minor Opus 51 No 2

Programme 2 (Wellington & Dunedin)

Beethoven String Quartet in B flat Opus 18 No 6 Jiang Selections from China Song

Interval

Beethoven String Quartet in C sharp minor Opus 131

PIERS LANE Piers Lane, piano

Australia¹s Piers Lane performs in recital for Chamber Music New Zealand in 2005. This long awaited return visit will Piers¹s third tour for CMNZ, for whom he first toured in 1997.

Piers is a well known broadcaster on BBC. He wrote and presented a 54-part weekly series on BBC¹s Radio 3 called "The Piano" and his delightful and engaging manner developed a cult-like following.

Born in London and raised in Australia, Piers¹ international career has taken him to more than forty countries. He is currently a professor of piano at the Royal Academy of Music in London.

Piers was also a judge at the Sydney International Piano Competition earlier this year, where New Zealand pianist John Chen won the top award.

"Lane glittered with filigree charm" The Times (UK)

"Š breathtaking pianism" The Australian

"Piers Lane must have one of the most infectious laughs around" NZ Herald

"No praise could be high enough for Piers Lane whose playing throughout is of a superb musical intelligence, sensitivity, and scintillating brilliance" Gramophone

"Musically it had everything: style, wit, humour, control Š the night belonged to Piers Lane, his four hands and his turbo driven fingers" The Glasgow Herald

Piers Lane in recital

Saturday 7 May, Regent on Broadway, 8pm

Programme

Beethoven Sonata Opus 27 No 2 ŒMoonlight¹ Beethoven/Liszt Allegretto from Symphony No 7 Schumann Exercises on a Theme of Beethoven

Interval

Schubert Impromptu in G flat Major Beethoven/Liszt A song from An die ferne Geliebte Schumann Fantasie in C Opus 17

DEAN-EMMERSON-DEAN Brett Dean, viola, Paul Dean, clarinet, Stephen Emmerson, piano

A love of music making brought brothers Brett and Paul Dean together with pianist Stephen Emmerson. Attracted to the unusual combination of clarinet, viola and piano, they form the Dean-Emmerson-Dean trio.

A large emphasis within the group is on fun. "If you are having a brilliant time playing the concert, chances are the audience is too" says Paul. Stephen agrees, saying the music is paramount, "we strive to extract the most meaning, beauty and intensity we can from the music we play and to communicate that to our audience as powerfully and convincingly as possible".

Dean-Emmerson-Dean are all amazing musicians in their own right. Paul Dean last toured for Chamber Music New Zealand in 2003 as clarinettist for Southern Cross Soloists. Stephen Emmerson plays both piano and the viola and is also member of the Griffith Trio.

Brett Dean was a member of the Berlin Philharmonic for 15 years and is also an internationally acclaimed composer. The trio¹s New Zealand tour will include the performance of Brett¹s composition, Night Window.

"Theirs is a singular partnership that gives new life to the music they love ... They revel in the extraordinary unanimity of sound created from the blend of their instruments" Courier Mail, Brisbane

Dean-Emmerson-Dean in concert

Auckland - Monday 25 July, Auckland Town Hall Dunedin - Wednesday 27 July, Glenroy Auditorium Invercargill - Thursday 28 July, Centrestage Christchurch - Friday 29 July, James Hay Theatre Napier - Monday 1 August, Century Theatre Palmerston North - Tuesday 2 August, Speirs Centre Wellington - Wednesday 3 August, Wellington Town Hall Nelson - Thursday 4 August, Nelson School of Music

All concerts start at 8pm

Programme 1 (Dunedin, Christchurch & Wellington)

Mozart Trio in E flat K498 ŒKegelstatt¹ Brahms Sonata Opus 120 No 1 in F Minor for viola and piano

Interval

Brett Dean Night Window Max Bruch Three Pieces for clarinet, viola and piano Opus 83

Programme 2 (Auckland, Invercargill, Napier, Palmerston North & Nelson)

Mozart Trio in E flat K.498 ŒKegelstatt¹ Brahms Sonata Opus 120 No 2 in E flat for clarinet and piano

Interval

Andrew Schultz Stick Dance 2 Max Bruch Four Pieces for clarinet, viola and piano Opus 83

FLIGHT Carolyn Mills, harp and Bridget Douglas, flute

Flautist Bridget Douglas and harpist Carolyn Mills are both Principal players in the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. In 2005 they make their Chamber Music New Zealand Celebrity Season debut as Flight.

The pair have enjoyed musical connections with one another for a number of years. Bridget and Carolyn both teach at Wellington¹s Victoria University. Bridget is a founding member of Wellington based contemporary ensemble Stroma, who toured as part of Chamber Music New Zealand¹s 2004 Celebrity Season earlier this year.

The name Flight denotes light, energy and inspiration. Bridget explains that their music "is a natural fit with each other; they complement one another".

Carolyn uses a harp that was made by a world class harp maker, Kim Webby. Kim has an international client list and a waiting list of up to a year. Lucky for Carolyn, Kim lives in New Zealand.

The pair will be performing a broad range of works for the flute and harp, including a CMNZ commission by New Zealand composer Eve de Castro-Robinson. Also included in their repertoire is a piece by Bernard Andres which includes techniques that give the flute and harp otherworldly, sensual and eerie qualities.

Flight last toured for Chamber Music New Zealand¹s Associate Societies in 2003, and make their Celebrity Season debut in 2005.

"Š flute and harp seduced us with the most elegant phrasing and articulation" The Evening Post

Flight in concert

Nelson - Saturday 17 September, Nelson School Of Music, 8pm Palmerston North - Sunday 18 September, Speirs Centre, 3pm New Plymouth - Sunday 25 September, Theatre Royal, TSB Showplace, 3pm Invercargill - Monday 3 October, Centrestage, 8pm

Programme

JS Bach Sonata in C for flute and continuo Takemitsu Toward the Sea Scarlatti Sonatas for solo harp Bernard Andres Narthex

Interval

Eve de Castro Robinson Chamber Music New Zealand commission piece Nielsen The Fog is Lifting Telemann Fantasia for solo flute Manuel de Falla Three Popular Spanish Songs William Alwyn Naiades (Fantasy-Sonata)

NEW ZEALAND STRING QUARTET Gillian Ansell, viola, Rolf Gjelsten, cello, Douglas Beilman, violin, Helene Pohl, violin

The New Zealand String Quartet kick-start Chamber Music New Zealand¹s 2005 Celebrity Season with a performance George Crumb¹s Black Angels, possibly the only quartet to have been inspired by the Vietnam War.

Black Angels includes shouting, chanting, whistling, whispering, gongs, maracas, and crystal glasses and the quartet will amplify the strings to produce a highly surrealistic effect.

Following their Celebrity Season tour, the quartet will represent New Zealand at the annual EXPO music convention in Japan and will perform Three Transcriptions, a work by New Zealand composer Jack Body. The quartet will also tour North America and Europe next year. Included is a return performance at Europe¹s finest chamber music establishment, the Wigmore Hall.

"Š this was playing with an intensity of purpose I have not heard in a long time" Allan Purdy, Taranaki Daily News, 2004

"Š exquisite attention to detail in a highly disciplined performance that never lost sight of the superb opportunities for expression" Stephen Fisher, Manawatu Standard, 2004

"Š As one of my colleagues said, it sounded good enough to bite" Anthony Ritchie, Otago Daily Times, 2004

New Zealand String Quartet in concert

Palmerston North - Monday 21 March, Regent on Broadway Napier - Tuesday 22 March, Century Theatre New Plymouth - Wednesday 23 March, Theatre Royal, TSB Showplace Auckland - Thursday 24 March, Auckland Town Hall Wellington - Thursday 31 March, Wellington Town Hall Invercargill - Friday 1 April, Centrestage Dunedin - Saturday 2 April, Glenroy Auditorium Nelson ­ Monday 4 April, Nelson School of Music

All concerts start at 8pm

Programme 1 (Wellington, Invercargill, Nelson)

Haydn String Quartet Opus 76 No 4 in B flat ŒSunrise¹ Crumb Black Angels

Interval

Brahms String Quartet Opus 51 No 1 in C minor

Programme 2 (Palmerston North, Napier, New Plymouth, Auckland & Dunedin)

Haydn String Quartet Opus 76 No 5 in D Crumb Black Angels

Interval

Beethoven String Quartet Opus 132 in A minor

PETERSEN QUARTET Conrad Muck, violin, Daniel Bell, violin, Friedemann Weigle, viola, Jonás Krejcí, cello

Highly regarded among the new generation of string quartets, Germany¹s Petersen Quartet visit New Zealand for the first time in September next year as part of Chamber Music New Zealand¹s Celebrity Season.

Founded in 1979 and guided by mentors such as the Amadeus Quartet, Sandor Vegh, and Thomas Brandis, the Petersen Quartet have become the epitome of high-calibre sound and fine musicianship throughout Europe and North America.

The quartet have won prizes at many prestigious international music competitions and collaborate frequently with renowned artists such as Boris Pergamenshikov, Paul Meyer, Michel Béroff, and Tabea Zimmerman.

During their New Zealand tour the group will perform Sculthorpe¹s String Quartet no 9 (1975). The piece was been derived from Australian aboriginal sources, juxtaposing and combining the theme of man and nature.

The group will also perform Schubert¹s dramatic work, the Death and the Maiden String Quartet in D minor D810. Schubert wrote the piece after being inspired by a poem by Mathias Claudius of the same name. The piece contrasts the maiden¹s fear of death with death¹s promise of a peaceful slumber. Schubert was very ill at the time of composing the piece and the poem took on a new significance.

"Flawless Š the Petersen Quartet plays with such precision and cohesiveness as to astound the eye and ear" The Pittsburgh Post

Petersen Quartet in concert

Auckland - Friday 9 September, Auckland Town Hall Wellington - Saturday 10 September, Wellington Town Hall Christchurch - Monday 12 September, James Hay Theatre

All concerts start at 8pm

Programme 1 (Wellington & Christchurch)

Sculthorpe String Quartet No 9 (1975) Prokofiev String Quartet No 2 in F Opus 92

Interval

Schubert String Quartet in D minor D810 Death and the Maiden

Programme 2 (Auckland)

Mozart String Quartet in G K387 Schulhoff 5 pieces for String Quartet

Interval

Sculthorpe String Quartet No 9 (1975) Schumann String Quartet in A minor Opus 41 No 1

TICHMAN-BIELER-KLIEGEL PIANO TRIO Ida Bieler, violin, Maria Kliegel, cello, Nina Tichman, piano

Bringing together three of Germany¹s finest musicians - Nina Tichman, Ida Bieler and Maria Kliegel - the Tichman-Bieler-Klegel Piano Trio tour for Chamber Music New Zealand in October 2005.

A graduate of the famous Julliard School, Nina Tichman (piano) has won many prestigious competitions and appears as a soloist with orchestras and recital the world over. In 2004 Nina was invited to perform for the President of Germany. Ida Bieler (violin), for many years a member of the Melos Quartet, is in demand as a teacher and a judge at international masterclasses and competitions. Maria Kliegel is one of the leading cellists of the 21st Century. She plays the legendary "Ex Gendron" cello made by Stradivarius in 1693. For more than 30 years the cello was owned by Maurice Gendron and was loaned to Maria by the Foundation for the Arts and Culture of North Rhine Westphalia.

The Tichman-Bieler-Klegel Piano Trio¹s CMNZ concert programme features masterworks from the piano trio repertoire. This is the first time the group have toured for CMNZ and to mark the occasion, the trio's recordings of the complete Beethoven Trios for Naxos will be released to coincide with their visit.

"Maria Kliegel is the best cellist I've heard since Jacqueline du Pré" Mstislav Rostropovich

"Violinist Ida Bieler's dynamic and impassioned interpretations ooze accomplishment and commitment in every bar, to say nothing of pianist Nina Tichman's robust tone and ability to sustain long lines in continuous arcs" Classics Today

Tichman-Bieler-Klegel Piano Trio in concert

Auckland - Tuesday 11 October, Auckland Town Hall Palmerston North - Wednesday 12 October, Regent on Broadway Napier - Thursday 13 October, Century Theatre New Plymouth - Saturday 15 October, Theatre Royal, TSB Showplace Wellington - Monday 17 October, Wellington Town Hall Nelson - Wednesday 19 October, Nelson School of Music Dunedin - Thursday 20 October, Glenroy Auditorium Christchurch - Friday 21 October, James Hay Theatre

All concerts start at 8pm

Programme 1 (Auckland, New Plymouth & Nelson)

Lera Auerbach Piano Trio Opus 28 Beethoven Piano Trio in E flat Opus 70 No 2

Interval

Tchaikovsky Piano Trio in A minor Opus 50

Programme 2 (Palmerston North, Napier, Wellington, Dunedin & Christchurch)

Beethoven Piano Trio in D Opus 70 No 1 ŒThe Ghost¹ Ravel Piano Trio in A minor (1915)

Interval

Mendelssohn Piano Trio No 2 in C minor Opus 66

MICHAEL HOUSTOUN Michael Houstoun, piano

New Zealand pianist Michael Houstoun performs four recitals for Chamber Music New Zealand in August and September next year. He is looking forward to performing a programme of Bach, Schubert and Debussy, which he describes as "divine music from first note to last".

Michael has performed for Chamber Music New Zealand since he was a teenager, both as a soloist in recital and in concert with New Zealand musicians such as the New Zealand String Quartet Wilma Smith, Martin Riseley and Peter Scholes.

This will be the first time he has performed with both hands since his the diagnosis of the movement-restricting complaint called focal dystonia in his right hand.

His special recitals for Chamber Music New Zealand in 2005 will be performed in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Hawkes Bay.

Michael Houstoun in recital

Auckland - Sunday 21 August, Concert Chamber, Auckland Town Hall, 3pm Christchurch - Sunday 28 August, Great Hall, The Arts Centre, 3pm Wellington - Thursday 1 September, Ilott Theatre, Wellington Town Hall, 8pm Napier - Sunday 11 September, Century Theatre, 3pm

Programme

Bach French Overture Schubert Moments Musicaux Debussy Preludes Book 1

ENDS

© Scoop Media