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.
NZSO: large and small ensembles on the road
The NZSO is on tour with its Setting up Camp project and programmes for full orchestra and string quartet.
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.
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.
Barley and De Pledge: Dream team
Matthew Barley and Stephen de Pledge are currently touring Aotearoa for Chamber Music New Zealand with a programme of Beethoven, Brahms and other “interesting stuff”.
The conductor’s art
Gemma New visited New Zealand recently to conduct the NZSO and National Youth Orchestra in music by Gareth Farr, Stravinsky and Shostakovich. She brought both musical understanding and composing skill to the podium.