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Review of New Zealand String Quartet and Youth Orchestra Waikato: Soundscapes

Works by: Mascagni, Clare Cowan, Beethoven and DebussyHelene Pohl and Peter Clark violin, Gillian Ansell viola and Rolf Gjelsten cello...

Review of Chamber Music New Zealand: Darroch and DeHart Duo

Lou Harrison’s First Concerto for Flute and Percussion (1939) was the earliest work while Celeste Oram’s Notes on a Nocturne Tradition (2023) was the most recent piece.Harrison’s rhythmic ostinato throughout the first movement provided a limited tonal palette, allowing the beautiful full-bodied timbres of the flute to take centre stage. The poignancy in the lower registers’ hues were captured beautifully in this masterful composition by Harrison. Toro Takemitsu’s Toward the Sea with ma...

Review of Lumina Vocal Ensemble (Adelaide) and Hamilton Civic Choir

The prevalence of light or luminosity was central to this Cambridge Festival of Singing performance. The 21 voices in the ‘a capella’ Lumina Vocal Ensemble gave a performance which radiated a rich variety of vocal colours, each reflective of the repertoire that provided an almost chronological time traveller’s guide from medieval gems to masterpieces of the Renaissance, Baroque and morsels from Eastern Europe and contemporary Australia.The choice of repertoire and the variety therein allow...

Review of New Zealand Guitar Quartet (NZGQ)

Quartet members Vladimir Gorbach, Andrew Blanch, Owen Moriarty, John Couch...

Review of Orchestras Central: Youth Orchestra Waikato

Works by Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, Gardel, Mascagni, Gareth Farr, StravinskyConductor Simon BrewAssociate Conductor Catherine PolglaseSoloists Kezi Schuitmaker - Violin and Matthew Colvin - Clarinet ...

Orchestras Central - Comfortable Classical

Works by Gillian Whitehead, Debussy, J S Bach, Saint-Saëns, W A Mozart, Oliver Davis and Vivaldi.  Soloists Lara Hall - Director and Violin, Rachael Griffiths-Hughes - Harpsichord, Martin Griffiths - Cello, Lisa lynch - Viola, Double Bass - Eric Scholes, Simon Brough - Bassoon, Flutes - Luca Manghi and Ashleigh Fraser...

Review of OCT Ensemble: Vivaldi by Candlelight

Soloists Lara Hall - Director and Violin, Simon Brough - Bassoon, Flutes - Luca Manghi and Ashleigh FraserThe Cambridge Town Hall provided the ideal acoustic and candlelight setting for this concert. I would like to predicate this by saying that I attended a Vivaldi concert in Venice at the church of Santa Maria della Pietà or della Visitazione which is also known as the ‘Church of Vivaldi’. One can imagine a little trepidation here…Opening with the Bassoon Concerto in E minor, RV 484 Viv...

Australasian Saxophone Collective: Akiri Saxophone Quartet

Works by: Schumann, Jun Nagao, Yasuhide Ito, J S Bach, Rossini, Chesnokov and Sullivan & PeterikNiels Bijl - Soprano, Tomomi Johnston - Alto, Simon Brew - Tenor, Michael Jamieson...

Review of Chamber Classics Series: String Quartet

Works by J S Bach, Osvaldo Golijov and F, SchubertSimeon Broom (violin), Jessica Oddie (violin), Alexander McFarlane (viola), Ken Ichinose (cello)...

Review of Australasian Saxophone Collective

It actually blew my mind; it was a masterclass in saxophonology (not sure if that’s a word but we’ll just go with that for now). Of the easygoing crowd of about 80 people, I’d say around half of them seemed like they either played saxophone or had a loved one who did, so it was fun to see so many in awe of what were obviously some of Australasia’s finest musicians. (They probably should have asked one of these more knowledgeable saxophone appreciates to write the review. 😊)I coul...