Vienna is the connecting theme in this concert.

Ross Harris reflects on the decadence of Vienna in Mahler’s time with Vienna (Mahler) from his latest commission for the NZSO, Three Pieces for Orchestra. The other two movements reflect other European cities within the context of great composers who have made their name there: Düsseldorf (Schumann) and Lucerne (Wagner). The work was especially commissioned by Peter and Kathryn Walls for the orchestra to take with them on their European tour later this year.

Haydn was a resident in Vienna when he penned his Cello Concerto in C, here played by Li-Wei. Virtuoso runs, passages high in the cello’s vocal range and expansive melodies abound, as does Haydn’s trademark lively wit and joie de vivre. Since the concerto’s rediscovery in the 1960s, it has become an audience and performer favourite.

The NZSO’s principal conductor Pietari Inkinen will also lead the orchestra through Mahler’s 5th Symphony. Like all of the Mahler Symphonies, the Fifth encloses a world of experience, somehow more achingly beautiful and more painful than ‘real life’. As Herbert von Karajan said “a great performance of Mahler’s Fifth is a transformative experience.”

Venue and Booking Details

Michael Fowler Centre
Wakefield Street, opposite Cuba Street
Wellington CBD
New Zealand

Book through Ticketek