News
2008 is off to a flying start
Five concerts in four weeks
has Marc Taddei hopping. Adelaide has already enjoyed his Symphony
under the Stars debut and he opened the
season with a Wellington Government House concert. Next, he’ll lead Dame
Kiri Te Kanawa in Auckland and Nelson with the Auckland Phil and Vector
Wellington orchestras. I hear he’s even jumping off the Auckland Sky
Tower this month to celebrate.
Following up is the
Australian premiere of John Psathas’ View from Olympus with Michael Houstoun and Pedro Carneiro; the
world’s first Kristallnacht 60th anniversary memorial concerts, Australia’s
Young Person Awards concerts in Tasmania,
and a tour of Don Quixote with the Royal NZ Ballet. This is New Zealand’s
highest profile conductor and most successful music director.
Feng Ning: Mr Paganini Calls
His newly released, Hello
Mr Paganini received a rave review in Gramophone and is now available via Channel Classics . He debuts in
three countries this month: Australia with the Melbourne
Symphony (20th); Malaysia with the Malaysian Philharmonic (23, 24th); and Singapore debut with the Huayi Festival (12th)… before returning later to Singapore, Brisbane, Hong Kong, Sydney, Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and undertaking tours with the Queensland Orchestra and with John Chen through Musica Viva.
Vladimir is conducting in Russia this month and makes a special trip to Brisbane for 4 concerts in March. This
month’s limelight, recommends Vladimir as one of the Top 20 must see conductors you must see live in Australia in 2008. Watch for the WASO 80th birthday gala, where Verbitsky celebrates his 21st year of his association with the orchestra. He also conducts Pascal Rogé in Mozart, and appears with TQO in March, the Southern Sinfonia (Dunedin), West Australian and Adelaide Symphony Orchestras in June, and with the WA Youth Orchestra and the Tasmanian and Christchurch Symphony Orchestras in July and August.
John Chen: Lighting up Australian Arts
limelight has placed John Chen in their new year top
50 power players to watch in the arts; in
the company of luminaries such as Vladimir Ashkenazy, Cate Blanchett, and Richard
Hickox. He’ll return to Melbourne, Auckland, and Wellington, and debuts in
Bochum, Germany and in Hong Kong, as well as making an Australian tour with
Violinist Feng Ning for Musica Viva. He is also picked for the Rubenstein
Piano Competition in Tel Aviv as pianist and the Osaka International Chamber
Music Competition with his Saguaro Piano Trio.
Cyprien’s principle place
of residence this year is in the air as
his demanding schedule sends him back to Korea (October); Kuala Lumpur
(November); Japan (October); and he debuts in Australia with the Tasmanian
Symphony in November (8th,10th), ABN AMRO Morgans International Piano Series in
Adelaide (12th) Medici Piano Recital Series (14th) and the Queensland Orchestra
(28th, 29th). Orchestral performances introduce the newly-transcribed Listz Mephisto Waltz
transcription for Orchestra to Australian audiences. Closer to earth, Cyprien
can be found in the pages of December’s IRR with his article “Too Many Records ”.
The respected and admired
German conductor of Brahms, Beethoven and Bruckner conducted the Tokyo City
Philharmonic in a well-received eclectic concert of Hindemith, Korngold and
Busoni in December. He’s been conducting and recording in Germany over the Northern winter and returns to the Christchurch Symphony in March, conducts
two concerts with the Southern Sinfonia in Dunedin; one of them with violinist
superstar Chuanyun Li . The other is a special presentation of Carmina Burana with soloists John
Murray, Rebecca Ryan and Jared Holt, and the City of Dunedin Choir.
Featuring in a TV documentary
on the emergence of the Portuguese Chamber Orchestra, of which he is the
artistic director and principal conductor; Pedro can be also seen on youtube. Read the astonishing
reviews from Pedro’s worldwide concertising, and you’ll want tto hear performances
via his podcasts. This
year Pedro premieres the Lindberg Percussion Concerto in Helsinki, Stockholm and Leipzig, and heads south in
June for the Australian premiere of John Psathas’ View From Olympus in Tasmania– (all Australasian arts administrators invited!)
Watch that space.
Michael has just released a
very well-received double CD, Inland on Rattle, and launched his own site,
replete with blog and concert updates. In June he again features in John
Psathas’ popular View From Olympus concerto – this time in Hobart.
He will coach young kiwi talent at the Adam Summer Chamber Music School this
month (along with the NZ String Quartet). For you in the cheap seats, dial up Radio NZ on 18 February 8 pm to hear his workout of the last three of Beethoven’s 32 piano sonatas in
his May 2007 Auckland Town Hall recital.
Putting the Max in MAXIMA
This month we’ve launched
our brand new online presence, thanks to the superlative work of Tim Gummer Design, (also responsible
for the covers of Rattle releases featuring Maxima’s Michael Houstoun, Pedro
Carneiro, and Marc Taddei).
We think it’s a vast improvement, but we’d love to
hear how it is for you. Easy to navigate? Fast enough? Loud (yes)
enough? We’d really appreciate your feedback! www.maximaltd.com
And we're very pleased to introduce the latest member of the doubled up Maxima team& Lisa Ho, who just obtained a conjoint degree from the University of Auckland in Management and Music History & Literature. Lisa will work as direct assistant to John, and manage many exciting aspects of Maxima' s operations. And hers will most likely be the friendly voice you hear when next you call us! Please join us in welcoming Lisa
Look forward to talking with you - John
