World premiere adds darkness and light to Festival of Colour

PRESS RELEASE

World premiere adds darkness and light to Festival of Colour

LAKE WANAKA, New Zealand (April 17, 2013) – The second day of the Southern Lakes Festival of Colour saw Michael Houstoun take centre stage with two very different performances including a world premiere of Between Darkness and Light with soprano, Jenny Wollerman.

New Zealand’s foremost Beethoven pianist, Michael has appeared at every Festival of Colour to date and is celebrating his 60th birthday by performing the historic cycle of 32 Beethoven sonatas around the country. Today he treated a full house to the Tempest and the Waldstein, his bravura performance receiving a standing ovation.

Later, in Between Darkness and Light, Michael accompanied Jenny Wollerman who brought together a compelling series of songs exploring the emotional spaces between evening and morning. Selections from Mozart, Prokofiev, Strauss and others were performed with incredible sensitivity, lent even greater dramatic power by Tony Rabbit’s stunning lighting and set design.

Over at the Central Lakes Trust Crystal Palace, Fabulous Arabia delivered a completely different aural experience. With vocal harmonies, soaring guitars, a funky rhythm section and blasts of brass, this super-group of Lawrence Arabia, Mike Fabulous (Black Seeds) and members of Fat Freddy’s Drop, Trinity Roots and others garnered even more fans after their awesome performance in Queenstown the previous night.

On the Upside-Down of the World received rave reviews on its opening night and continues at Luggate Memorial Hall until Friday. Rapidly becoming a festival favourite, this one-woman show is based on the journals of Lady Ann Martin, the young wife of our first Chief Justice, who arrived in New Zealand in 1841. Laurel Devenie’s outstanding performance together with inventive set and costume design and the intensely felt story has left some audience members moved to tears.

The festival’s ‘Aspiring Conversations’ sessions begin tomorrow adding cultural and political debate to the artistic programme. Seymour Hersh, one of the world’s most respected investigative reporters, helicoptered into town today and headed straight to Mount Aspiring College for a relaxed Q&A with media studies students.

Both of Hersh’s sessions – the first on America and New Zealand’s participation in past, present and future wars (Thursday) and the second on how to uncover the truth from military authorities (Friday) – have sold out but he is hoping to catch Nicky Hager’s discussion ‘Fighting other people’s wars’ on Friday for which tickets are still available.

The 2013 Southern Lakes Festival of Colour runs until Sunday 21 April and is generously supported by Central Lakes Trust, The Community Trust of Otago, Creative New Zealand and Aurora Energy. For further information and ticket sales visit www.festivalofcolour.co.nz.

ENDS

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