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.
The remarkable Amalia Hall: star soloist, concertmaster and chamber musician
Violinist Amalia Hall will join the NZSO for Bartók’s 2nd Violin Concerto. But she’s equally at home as concertmaster or chamber musician and she’s playing all three roles at home and internationally.
The Young Virtuosi: dazzling competition winners on tour
Competition winners Yeyeong Jenny Jin, violin, and Jeonghwan Kim, piano, have shown their virtuosity and musicianship in 11 concerts around New Zealand.
Woven Pathways: the NZ String Quartet reflects on the human experience
The concerts of the NZ String Quartet’s national tour, Woven Pathways, showed the power of a string quartet to explore emotions and experiences.
Bluebeard’s Castle: a bold, brilliant reimagining of Bartók’s opera
A contemporary reimagining of Bartók’s opera Bluebeard’s Castle is brought to audiences in Wellington and Christchurch by NZSO and NZ Opera.
Bartók - a musical colour-burst
A new album of Bartók’s music for violin and piano by violinist Monique Lapins and pianist Jian Liu has energy, momentum and a forthright passionate approach.
Nocturnal pleasures
In pianist Jian Liu’s touring recital “Nocturnes” the choice of music is as well-judged as his fine playing.