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.
Confronting the Modern Gods: John Psathas and Fabian Ziegler
The album Modern Gods, music by composer John Psathas performed by percussionist Fabian Ziegler and pianist Akvilė Šileikaitė, confronts the relationship between people and the “modern gods” of technology.
Sonoro Quartet with Tony Chen Lin: a fresh approach to beloved music
The Sonoro Quartet with pianist Tony Chen Lin is touring Aotearoa at the moment. Their excitingly fresh and bold approach to their programme of Schubert and Schumann is delighting audiences.
NZ Opera’s Così fan tutte: sparkling, sophisticated artifice
New Zealand Opera’s sparkling Così fan tutte has an outstanding cast, clever direction, comedic highlights and an increasingly fantastic design. Just what was in those cocktails?
Composer Briar Prastiti: artist on the edge
Composer Briar Prastiti, currently living in the Lilburn Residence, has called her new work for Orchestra Wellington, Akri, a Greek word meaning “edge”. She talked to Five Lines about the dissonance between her Greek and New Zealand identities.
NZ Opera’s new head, Brad Cohen: sharing the power of music
Brad Cohen, incoming General Director of New Zealand Opera, talked to Five Lines about his training and career as a conductor and his drive to share the power of music through the intimacy of the singing voice.
Voices New Zealand and the shining light of Karen Grylls
The recent concert “When Light Breaks” revealed many aspects of the art of Dr Karen Grylls, who has been made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for her outstanding contributions to choral music.
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.
APO and Cresswell’s Dragspil: a concerto comes home
Classical accordionist James Crabb performs the New Zealand premiere of Lyell Cresswell’s Dragspil with the APO, a work written for Crabb to play at the 1995 BBC Proms.
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.
Force of Nature: Forest & Bird’s clarion call
A musical project celebrating the centenary of Forest & Bird brings nine new compositions to life and sounds a clarion call about conservation of Aotearoa’s native habitats and species.
J S Bach’s St Matthew Passion: monumental and humane
The Tudor Consort’s St Matthew Passion by JS Bach vividly communicated the drama of this monumental work under the direction of Michael Stewart.
The Unruly Tourists: an opera, a composer and a departing director
NZ Opera’a General Director Thomas de Mallet Burgess commissioned the opera The Unruly Tourists from composer Luke di Somma. The controversial project has just completed its first season in Auckland.
Wellington Opera’s Lucia: all about the singing
Wellington Opera’s Lucia di Lammermoor brings together a consistently fine cast of New Zealand singers, thrilling the opening night audience.
New Zealand String Quartet: the wearing of the green
The New Zealand String Quartet collaborated with Irish composer and musician Dave Flynn for a joyous programme on St Patrick’s Day.
Eve de Castro-Robinson premiere: a quiet centre in NZTrio concert
Eve de Castro-Robinson’s new work, the willing air, is the quiet centre of a marvellously curated programme by NZTrio called Homeland 1.
Victoria Kelly’s Requiem: stretching time
As composer Victoria Kelly prepares for the world premiere of her major work, Requiem, she talks about the personal losses, and the poetry, that were her inspiration.
In Bed With Schoenberg: notes from a musical scandal
Writer Dave Armstrong and his violinist brother Donald have boldly created a play about the revolutionary composer Arnold Schoenberg. Could the world be ready for the atonal compositions of this leader of the so-called 2nd Viennese School?
The Earth Child: A Mansfield centenary tribute album
Composer Janet Jennings has curated a brilliant album as tribute to Katherine Mansfield, marking the centenary of the writer’s death and including her own setting of Mansfield’s Earth Child poems.
Music & Memory: a tribute concert for Barry Brickell
Music & Memory was a tribute concert for potter Barry Brickell, a remarkable event devised by Robert Oliver that linked 16th century music for viols, taonga pūoro, words and images to celebrate one of Aotearoa’s most original thinkers.
TANZOS: a springboard for outstanding young opera singers in Aotearoa
Soprano Madeleine Pierard is the head of TANZOS, an exciting new Opera Studio at the University of Waikato. It was the dream of Dame Malvina Major, and her Foundation is a major donor to the initiative.