Next Stop London And The BBC Proms

14 July 2005

Next Stop London And The BBC Proms

This is your last chance to see the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra in concert before they go to the BBC Proms, London, the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam and Aichi, Japan. As part of this second series of July concerts, in Auckland and Wellington only, they will perform Sibelius' stirring Second Symphony - a work that they will perform at the BBC Proms and in Amsterdam in August [Details of the world tour below].

Finnish composer Sibelius' Second Symphony came to represent the patriotic fervour of the country during Russia's increasing occupation, the music being both turbulent and romantic.

The soloist for these concerts in New Zealand is Diana Doherty, making her NZSO debut performing the Strauss Oboe Concerto. Lorin Maazel, Music Director of the LA Philharmonic, calls her "one of the finest oboists I think I've ever heard. A stunning player." Principal Oboe of the Sydney Symphony, Doherty has carved a stellar career as both a soloist and orchestral player. Born in Brisbane she began studying violin, piano and oboe at the ages of 6, 7 and 8 respectively.

Since concentrating on the Oboe, Doherty has accrued many prizes in international competitions, including the prestigious 1991 Prague Spring Festival Competition and was joint winner of the 1995 Young Concert Artists International Auditions which lead onto critically acclaimed debut recitals in New York and Washington. In 2001 Diana won the Australian Entertainment MO award for Classical/Opera performer of the year.

These concerts will also include the debut performances of Eve de Castro Robinson's Releasing the Angel featuring NZSO Principal Cellist, David Chickering. De Castro Robinson's inspiration for this work was when she chanced upon the translated Michelangelo phrase: "First it was stone, then I released an angel". She says, 'My angel is the cello of David Chickering, the stone - the symphony orchestra, from which every composer must coax and cajole a convincing sound sculpture."

This concert will be performed in Auckland on 29th July and in Wellington on 5th August.

New Zealand Symphony Orchestra Friday 29 July at 6:30pm TOWN HALL AUCKLAND Friday 5 August at 6:30pm MICHAEL FOWLER CENTRE WELLINGTON

A new work by leading New Zealand composer Eve de Castro-Robinson features NZSO Principal Cellist David Chickering and leads to Richard Strauss's classical Oboe Concerto performed by Sydney Symphony's Principal Oboist Diana Doherty as the virtuosic soloist. What better way to finish than with Sibelius's popular Second Symphony famous for its stirring 'big tune' ending?

James Judd - Conductor Diana Doherty - Oboe David Chickering - Cello

De Castro Robinson: Releasing the Angel Richard Strauss: Oboe Concerto Sibelius: Symphony No 2 in D Major Op 43

Book at Ticketek - Tickets from $20

NZSO MAKES HISTORY ON THE INTERNATIONAL STAGE

The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra , conducted by Music Director James Judd will make a historic tour this August to the world-famous 2005 BBC Proms and one of Europe's most sought-after concert halls - the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. This will be followed by a tour to the World Expo in Aichi, Japan representing New Zealand.

This is the largest tour outside New Zealand that the NZSO has ever undertaken, the first ever appearance by a New Zealand orchestra at the prestigious BBC Proms and will feature two of New Zealand's most prominent music ambassadors, Dame Kiri te Kanawa and Jonathan Lemalu.

Following the orchestra's arrival on 13 August, they will perform in Snape Maltings as part of the Snape Proms on 16 August before presenting a concert, two days later, at the Royal Albert Hall as part of the largest and most famous orchestral festival in the world, the BBC Proms.

The following day the orchestra will fly to Amsterdam and perform at the Concertgebouw before finally, travelling to Aichi, Japan on 22 August.

The orchestra last toured to Europe for the 1992 World Expo at Seville and in more recent years has travelled to Australia and Japan as part of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Festival and the International Performing Arts Festival in Osaka in 2003.

ENDS

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