3 June - the Auckland Philharmonia

APO – 2013 SEASON
“Bringuier brought a special freshness and sense
of excitement ... The conductor ... is a sunny
Frenchman from Nice who always looks to be
having contagious fun with the baton.”
— Los Angeles Times, August 2011
German Romantics
8pm, Thu 17 October
Auckland Town Hall
Conductor Lionel Bringuier
Violin Natalia Lomeiko
brahms Variations on a theme by Haydn
bruch Violin Concerto No.1
brahms Symphony No.2
French-born Lionel Bringuier, who
at the age of 25 has already been
Resident Conductor of the Los Angeles
Philharmonic for six years, is acclaimed
for his infectiously incandescent
performances. And what better programme
to demonstrate his ability than this.
The German Romantics are renowned
for their ability to musically capture
feelings of passion and nostalgia.
Bruch’s Violin Concerto, performed
by Natalia Lomeiko, 2003 winner of
the Michael Hill International Violin
Competition, overflows with melody
and emotion. And in Brahms’s Second
Symphony, the composer trades his
usual solemnity for effortless joy.
12 apo.co.nz
Scandinavian Adventure
8pm, Thu 7 November
Auckland Town Hall
Conductor Eckehard Stier
Clarinet Nicola Jürgensen
grieg Peer Gynt Suites: selection
nielsen Clarinet Concerto
rautavaara Cantus Arcticus
sibelius Symphony No.7
Scandinavia is a region of stunning
landscapes and beauty, as well as
isolation. In this programme of works
inspired by the far north, we travel from
the traditional folk tales of Peer Gynt,
which imagine impetuous mountain
kings, to Rautavaara’s evocative Cantus
Arcticus, which uses recordings of
native bird songs as musical inspiration.
German soloist Nicola Jürgensen,
who has appeared with orchestras
throughout Europe, joins the orchestra
in Nielsen’s devilish Clarinet Concerto.
Sibelius’s Seventh Symphony is a fitting
end to this Scandinavian programme.
It was written 33 years before his death,
but was one of his final compositions. In
this magisterial statement, he evokes the
austere beauty of his home, Finland.
Season Finale
8pm, Thu 14 November
Auckland Town Hall
Conductor Eckehard Stier
Piano Steven Osborne
schoenberg Verklärte Nacht
Falla Nights in the Gardens of Spain
stravinsky The Rite of Spring
A concert of “night music” and ritual.
Schoenberg wrote “Transfigured Night”
after a poem based on lovers walking
in the moonlight, and, in one of his
last fully romantic pieces, uses lush
strings to convey unspeakable passion.
In similar vein, expect Gramophone
Award-winning pianist Steven Osborne
to create a shimmering vision of Spanish
gardens in Falla’s evocative homage.
And for a stunning close to the
season, a century after its riotous
first performance, don’t miss the
breathtaking and electrifying force of
Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring.