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.
Madeleine Pierard: “sumptuous singing” at home and away
After singing Strauss’s Four Last Songs for English National Ballet, soprano Madeleine Pierard is back in Aotearoa for two operatic roles and an NZSO tour. She talks about vocal fitness and the young stars of TANZOS..
(m)Orpheus: death and dreams in a stunning dance-opera
(m)Orpheus by NZ Opera and Black Grace is a stunning fusion of opera, dance and storytelling, in “a world where dreams can conquer death”.
Woven Pathways: the NZ String Quartet reflects on the human experience
The concerts of the NZ String Quartet’s national tour, Woven Pathways, showed the power of a string quartet to explore emotions and experiences.
Violinist Benjamin Baker and the birth of a chamber music festival
New Zealand-born violinist Benjamin Baker is bringing the success of his international career to his leadership of a new chamber music festival in an awe-inspiring landscape.
1919 Coda: Janáček, Boulanger, Debussy, Elgar - expressive accord
Music by composers working during World War 1 features on “1919 CODA: Janáček, Boulanger, Debussy and Elgar”, beautifully played by violinist Benjamin Baker and pianist Daniel Lebhardt.
STROMA: intimate musical dialogues
STROMA paid tribute to composers Jenny McLeod and Kaija Saariaho, presented new works by young composers of Aotearoa and ended a superbly-played concert with a theatrical work by Norma Beecroft.
(m)Orpheus: grief, art and truth
NZ Opera and Black Grace Dance have an outstanding creative team to reimagine Gluck’s masterpiece Orpheus and Eurydice. (m)Orpheus, combining Greek myth with Pasifika storytelling, opens this week.
Bluebeard’s Castle: a bold, brilliant reimagining of Bartók’s opera
A contemporary reimagining of Bartók’s opera Bluebeard’s Castle is brought to audiences in Wellington and Christchurch by NZSO and NZ Opera.
NZSO and conductor André de Ridder: total immersion
The NZSO’s three-concert Immerse Festival offered three very different concerts under the baton of boundary-crossing conductor André de Ridder.
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.