Concerts

Bernstein - Candide Overture
Arnold - Clarinet Concerto No.2 Op.115 (soloist: Kiara Kong)
Tchaikovsky - Symphony No.5

The interruption to our rehearsal and concert schedule caused by the COVID-19 lockdown resulted in the replacement of our planned concert in the Auckland Town Hall with a recording session, in which we were able to record the works of our March programme (which had been cut short by the lockdown) and also a newly revised composition, Cressida, by NZ composer (and AYO Chairman) Alexander Cowdell.  This recording session was made possible by the generous support of several organisations and individuals, which we gratefully acknowledge:  The Wallace Foundation,  SOUNZ,  Resound,  Creative Communities NZ,  Franco Viganoni,  Auckland Live  and the  Pettman National Junior Academy.

Our early concerts of the March programme had featured cellist Joseph Kelly in the Beethoven Triple Concerto, but since Joseph was unable to return to NZ from Australia for the June recording session, we were grateful for the excellent performance from Junghwan Choi in his stead.

Alexander Cowdell - Cressida (soloists: Kiara Kong - clarinet, Kent Isomura - piano)
Beethoven - Triple Concerto (soloists: Zosia Herlihy-O'Brien - violin, Joseph Kelly [March performance] and Junghwan Choi [June recording] - cello, Modi Deng - piano)
Rimsky-Korsakov - Scheherazade

Cowdell's Cressida was inspired by Shakespeare's "Troilus & Cressida" and these two characters are represented here by the solo piano and clarinet respectively.  The work encapsulates “the instinctive elements of musical expression – love caught in a world of irrational and destructive emotion – war.” – SOUNZ.  First performed in London in 1979, the work has recently been revised and this recording is its NZ premiere.

Beethoven - Triple Concerto (soloists: Zosia Herlihy-O'Brien - violin, Joseph Kelly - cello, Modi Deng - piano)
Rimsky-Korsakov - Scheherazade

Rimsky-Korsakov’s Oriental-themed symphonic music has dazzling, colourful orchestration which evokes a sense of the adventure in the tales of The Arabian Nights - it’s no wonder that Scheherazade is a favourite of concert audiences around the world.

2020 marks the 250th anniversary of the birth of Beethoven and AYO pays tribute to this in presenting his famous concerto for violin, cello & piano – or the Triple Concerto, as it is commonly known. The work offers the soloists an almost chamber music-like experience within the scale of Beethoven’s grand concerto style and our three remarkable young soloists combine to create an exciting performance.