Three Great Composers, Two Great Artists, One Great Sponsor

--For Immediate Release--

Three Great Composers, Two Great Artists, One Great Sponsor for APO Series

20/3/13

Beethoven’s timeless Symphony No.3, ‘Eroica’, forms the centrepiece of Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra’s first concert in this year’s Bayleys Great Classics series. ‘Eroica’, one of the cornerstones of the classical repertoire, is preceded in the 4 April concert by a Haydn favourite in the form of his Symphony No.85, ‘La Reine’, and Mozart’s sparkling Violin Concerto No.4 K.218.

The concerto features Russian maestro Ilya Gringolts as soloist. Since 1998 when he became the youngest ever winner of the Premio Paganini International Violin Competition, Mr Gringolts has performed internationally with many of the world’s leading artists and orchestras, including Itzhak Perlman (with whom Mr Gringolts also studied at Juilliard), Maurizio Pollini, Claudio Abbado and the Berlin Philharmonic. His recording for Deutsche Grammophon of Taneyev chamber music with Mikhail Pletnev, Vadim Repin, Nobuko Imai and Lynn Harrell won a Gramophone Award. Mr Gringolts returns to the APO for the first time since performing the Sibelius concerto in 2007.

The evening’s conductor Nicholas Kraemer, making his APO debut, is equally fêted. Establishing himself in the 1970s as one of the foremost ‘period instrument’ interpreters of Baroque repertoire, Mr Kraemer also has a passion for the music of later eras and extensive experience working with modern symphony orchestras, including the Berlin Philharmonic, the Gothenburg Symphony and the BBC Philharmonic. He regularly performs music of the Classical period on modern instruments, and has conducted acclaimed concerts of Mozart and Haydn with the Chicago Symphony.

“Gringolts is a wonderful musician and I can’t wait to hear what Kraemer makes of ‘Eroica’,” says APO Chief Executive Barbara Glaser. “These are musicians of international stature and it’s a pleasure to have them open this year’s Bayleys Great Classics concerts. We welcome them, and we also welcome Bayleys Real Estate to the APO family as sponsor of the series. We look forward to a long and fruitful relationship between our two organisations.” WHO: Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra with Nicholas Kraemer and Ilya Gringolts WHAT: Bayleys Great Classics series, ‘Heroic Classics’, featuring Beethoven’s ‘Eroica’ Symphony and music by Haydn and Mozart.

WHERE: Auckland Town Hall

WHEN: 8pm, Thursday 4 April

BOOKINGS: buytickets.co.nz / (09) 357 3355

MORE: http://apo.co.nz/

Did you know?

- ‘Eroica’ was composed in honour of Napoleon. When the French general proclaimed himself emperor, Beethoven violently crossed out the dedication he’d written on the score.

- Symphony No.3 is the second of Beethoven’s works to bear the name ‘Eroica’. The ‘Eroica Variations’ for solo piano were composed a year before the symphony. The two works share the same theme (it’s used in the finale of the symphony). The symphony is actually the third Beethoven work to use this theme – it was first used in The Creatures of Prometheus.

- Haydn’s Symphony No.85, one of the composer’s six ‘Paris’ symphonies, earnt the nickname ‘La Reine’ following a post-concert compliment paid by Marie Antoinette.

ENDS

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