It gives me great pleasure to invite you to attend the upcoming concerts being presented by AYO.
The Programme:
RAVEL Bolero
CHEN Yi The Golden Flute
TCHAIKOVSKY Music from ‘The Nutcracker’
Conductor Antun Poljanich
Soloist Eva Ding, Flute
When and Where:
Sat 1 Oct 7.30pm Katikati – St Paul’s Presbyterian Church
Sun 2 Oct 2.30pm Whitianga Town Hall
Sat 8 Oct 7.30pm Auckland Town Hall
News…
Supporters
Shortly before our last concert we introduced our new Supporters scheme. For a minimum donation of $60.00 per annum our Supporters are guaranteed seats in advance at the AYO Town Hall concerts, in the best part of the house. This avoids people having to queue to get a decent seat, which adds to the enjoyment of the occasion. It was encouraging to see Supporters chatting with each other in their special area, and obviously having a good time. I can see this developing into an informal Supporters club as people get to know each other. The social aspect of concert going has always been important, and in fact historically concerts really began as social gatherings with music. We are hopeful that many more people will take advantage of this really great idea. It is so valuable for AYO to have the secure financial support this scheme provides, and so a very big thank you to those of you have already signed up, and a big welcome to anyone else who would like to join. Contact Ms Annette Sachtleben .
Another exciting development is that members of the AYO Executive Committee have met with Associate Professor Martin Rummel of The University of Auckland School of Music, and Rachael Brand of APO Connect, and we have all agreed to work much more closely together in the future to provide the best possible opportunities for Auckland’s young musicians.
Anne Draffin, who has run and developed the competition each year; and
Philip Galloway, who has generously provided cash prizes and other financial support each year.The purpose of the competition is to provide an opportunity for AYO members to perform either a concerto or a short piece in a formal yet supportive competitive environment. The winner of the concerto section receives not only a substantial cash prize but also the sought-after opportunity to perform the concerto as soloist with AYO the following year. We are looking forward to another exciting and inspiring competition later this month.
The feedback from the last concert was very positive, apart from the difficulty many people had finding a park for their car. Because of the International Film Festival, and other events on at the same time, the Civic car park was completely full soon after 1.15pm, with the concert starting at 2.30pm. As the weather was also bad, some people actually gave up and went home, while others arrived late. We will try and ascertain in the future if this situation is likely to arise again, and let you know well in advance, as we did for the Divali Festival.
People loved the programme, and the orchestra was in superb form. It was thrilling to hear Mojca Pecman’s masterly performance of Ibert’s saxophone concerto. The opportunity of hearing a live performance of a saxophone concerto is such a rare event (I have never heard one before) and AYO is very pleased that we were able to feature this work. Mojca was also thrilled to have the opportunity to play it to NZ audiences. It was very exciting to hear the orchestra in Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. The aplomb with which the difficulties of this great showpiece were tackled by the orchestra soloists was very impressive.
The saxophone is the most modern of wind instruments, but our next programme will feature the most ancient, the flute. Most musical cultures, including Maori, have a flute of some kind, but in China, bone flutes dating back 10,000 years have been excavated, and it is one of the most important musical instruments in traditional Chinese music.
Eva Ding, the winner of last year’s AYO Soloist Competition, will be performing The Golden Flute, by the American Chinese composer Chen Yi. Eva Ding started learning the flute at the age of 8, going on to study with Uwe Grodd at the University of Auckland’s School of Music. She has also been mentored by Bridget Douglas and Sami Junnonen through the NZSO and APO Scholarship programmes. She has featured as a soloist with the Auckland Symphony Orchestra and has been a prize winner in the National, North Shore and Tauranga Performing Arts Competitions.
It was a huge success, right from its first performance, because although it is an astonishingly original work, and though nothing like it had ever been written before, it is instantly accessible to even an unsophisticated listener. The combination of the sensuous melody, repeated over and over again above the hypnotic rhythm of the bolero, with a continuous crescendo building gradually to an overwhelming climax at the end, has proved irresistible to audiences ever since.
Those who are only familiar with recordings of the piece will be amazed at how much more powerful and effective a live performance is. The dynamic range of a recording is compressed so that it can be heard in a domestic setting. To hear a full symphony orchestra play the same work live is quite another experience.
The final concert of the season is always a special event. We expect a full house, so don’t forget to come to the Town Hall in plenty of time to get a good seat, or even better, become a Supporter and get one reserved for you. You won’t be disappointed.