Five Lines is a collection of writings about music in Aotearoa New Zealand by Elizabeth Kerr. It features short articles, artist profiles and reviews of concerts, operas and albums. You can subscribe - it’s free - at the bottom of any story.
Eve de Castro-Robinson sounds a warning
A profile of composer Eve de Castro-Robinson and the premiere of her latest work, Clarion, a trumpet concerto.
Save RNZ Concert
The future of Radio NZ Concert looked more than uncertain in early February 2020. And the fate of New Zealand’s only classical music network remains unresolved.
Johannes Brahms: Clarinet Sonatas and Trio
What does historically informed performance mean for late Brahms? A review of the recent release of Brahms’ Clarinet Sonatas and Trio, by Marie Ross (clarinet), Petra Somlai (piano) and Claire-Lise Démettre (cello) (Centaur).
The song of the whale
Why do whales sing? A review of Panthalassa by Al Fraser, Sam Leamy and Neil Johnstone, released by Rattle Records in 2019.
The Gristle of Knuckles
Eve de Castro-Robinson’s The Gristle of Knuckles won the Classical Tui at the 2018 New Zealand Music Awards. And there’s not a genre category in sight in this inventive release.
Houstoun plays the seducer
Alfred Brendel called Beethoven's monumental Diabelli Variations "the greatest of all piano works". It may not yet be your favourite but be warned, you could be seduced by this persuasive release.
Free Radicals – a view from the 1990’s
An excerpt from John Rimmer and Free Radicals: live electronic music in New Zealand by Elizabeth Kerr, in the journal Contemporary Music Review (1991).
Quite doodling fashion
A Listener review from 1988 of a concert at Wellington’s Downstage Theatre by the live electronic group, Free Radicals.
RNZ Concert: an opinion piece
