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’s Mahler 5: brilliance and insight
The NZSO’s Mahler 5 concert showed off the orchestra under the brilliant conducting of Gemma New in a programme celebrating exciting composers and musicians of a younger generation.
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.
Madeleine Pierard: “sumptuous singing” at home and away
After singing Strauss’s Four Last Songs for English National Ballet, soprano Madeleine Pierard is back in Aotearoa for two operatic roles and an NZSO tour. She talks about vocal fitness and the young stars of TANZOS..
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.
NZSO and conductor André de Ridder: total immersion
The NZSO’s three-concert Immerse Festival offered three very different concerts under the baton of boundary-crossing conductor André de Ridder.
NZSO’s Emperor – Beethoven rules
Beethoven’s “Emperor” Concerto, in a stunning performance by pianist Paul Lewis and the NZSO under conductor Eduardo Strausser, was the show-stealing centrepiece of a recent concert.
Personal stories: the NZSO’s Bloch & Shostakovich
The common thread binding the works in the NZSO’s “Bloch and Shostakovich: Enduring Spirit” was, Donald Runnicles told us, a “strong personal identification” between each composer and his music.
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.
NZSO and Mahler’s 4th Symphony: naïve yet profound
Mahler’s 4th Symphony has a genial, naïve quality that belies a profound and sophisticated composition. The NZSO’s recent performance had it all but failed to attract a big audience.
Podium dynamics
Does gender on the podium matter? Is the issue merely one of equity? Are female conductors measured by a different standard?
Hilary Hahn with the NZSO - taking time
Celebrated American violinist Hilary Hahn talks about her early influences, JS Bach and her upcoming concertos with the NZSO.
Gemma New: the NZSO’s new Principal Conductor
Gemma New’s appointment as Principal Conductor of the NZSO has been greeted with delight in her home country. For this rising international star of the podium, it is a dream come true.
The conductor’s art
Gemma New visited New Zealand recently to conduct the NZSO and National Youth Orchestra in music by Gareth Farr, Stravinsky and Shostakovich. She brought both musical understanding and composing skill to the podium.
Inspired by a frozen continent
Composer Ihlara McIndoe’s new work for the NZSO NYO, Ephemeral Bounds, was inspired by the sounds she found in Antarctica.
Stars align
Gareth Farr is enormously proud of his new work for the NZSO, Ngā Hihi o Matariki (The Rays of Matariki).
An award-winning conductor rolls up her sleeves
Kiwi conductor Holly Mathieson, Music Director of Symphony Nova Scotia, is in New Zealand for concerts with the NZSO and APO.
Soldiers’ lament
A new release of Michael Williams’ 1st Symphony gives welcome longer life to a powerful musical statement.
Orchestral manoeuvres
New Zealand’s orchestras are broadening their audiences with innovative approaches.
Sugar and spice for a ballet
Claire Cowan’s brilliant orchestral score for the Royal NZ Ballet’s Hansel and Gretel is now available on a stylish CD.
Passionate cello recalls dark days
Cello concertos by Edward Elgar and Gareth Farr are brought to passionate life on a new CD.