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.
NZSO Beyond Words: united by music
In Beyond Words, the NZSO, conductor Fawzi Haimor, composer John Psathas with vocalist OUM and oud virtuoso Kyriakos Tapakis marked the 5th anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks with music that moved and united the audience.
The Adam Festival: chamber music heaven
Audiences from around Aotearoa, Australia and elsewhere gathered in Nelson for the star-studded lineup of chamber musicians at the biennial Adam Festival.
Confronting the Modern Gods: John Psathas and Fabian Ziegler
The album Modern Gods, music by composer John Psathas performed by percussionist Fabian Ziegler and pianist Akvilė Šileikaitė, confronts the relationship between people and the “modern gods” of technology.
Composer Briar Prastiti: artist on the edge
Composer Briar Prastiti, currently living in the Lilburn Residence, has called her new work for Orchestra Wellington, Akri, a Greek word meaning “edge”. She talked to Five Lines about the dissonance between her Greek and New Zealand identities.
NZSO Requiem: life and death across three centuries
The NZSO’s “Requiem” concert offered music about life and death from John Psathas, Richard Strauss and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Conductor Gemma New brought energetic inspiration to all three works.
Psathas’ Leviathan: steel, drums and determination
Humanity’s race to disaster is captured in John Psathas’s high-impact, visceral Leviathan, which will have its NZ premiere with soloist Alexej Gerassimez and Orchestra Wellington this month.
John Psathas The All-Seeing Sky: the inspiration of friends
Orchestra Wellington’s “Circle of Friends” includes their composer-in-residence John Psathas and his percussionist friends Fabian Ziegler and Luca Staffelbach from Switzerland. Psathas’ new double percussion concerto may be one of his finest compositions.
Music of Aotearoa
A 1999 work for taonga pūoro and flute has inspired a new generation of composers.
John Psathas: Voices at the End
John Psathas wrote Voices at the End for six grand pianos to communicate a heartfelt message about our world. For the premiere he had a “dream team”.
Tony Yan Tong Chen - Homecoming
Young New Zealand pianist Tony Yan Tong Chen displays his range and virtuosity on a new album of music by Liszt, Mozart, Tan Dun, John Psathas and Prokofiev.