Tour Partner

Touring NZ23 June – 2 July 2018

HeathQuartet

Chamber Music New Zealand presents

Tour Partner

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HEATH QUARTETCHAMBER MUSIC NEW ZEALAND presents

Sat 23 June, 7.30pm AUCKLAND Concert Chamber

Sun 24 June, 5pm MTG Century Theatre HAWKE’S BAYWed 27 June, 7.30pm Michael Fowler Centre WELLINGTONSat 30 June, 7.30pm Glenroy Auditorium DUNEDINMon 2 July, 7.30pm The Piano CHRISTCHURCH

BACH Chorale Preludes Page 5

GARETH FARR Te Kōanga (CMNZ commission) Page 5

HAYDN String Quartet No. 55 in D Major, op. 71, no. 2 Page 6

- INTERVAL -

BRITTEN String Quartet No. 2 in C Major, op. 36 Page 7

*The Artists reserve the right to make changes to the programme.

DURATION: 100 minutes – including interval

Programme notes written by Sarah Chesney.

Oliver Heath violin

Sara Wolstenholme violin

Gary Pomeroy viola

Christopher Murray cello

Please respect the music, the musicians, and your fellow audience members, by switching off all cellphones, pagers and watches. Taking photographs, or sound or video recordings during the concert is strictly prohibited unless with the prior approval of Chamber Music New Zealand.

The Wellington concert will be recorded for live broadcast by RNZ Concert

Kia ora tātouHere we are, in the middle of the year, hosting

our first full string-quartet tour of the season.

We’ve wanted our audiences to experience

something very different with every tour - from

the alternately playful and dramatic Anderson &

Roe, to the Early Music riches of Phantasm and

the avant-garde adventures of Stroma with Alex

Ross and Bianca Andrew.

After all that, it will be a treat to have some core

classical chamber music played by the Heath

Quartet. I’d like to welcome them on their first

visit to New Zealand and to say how much we

are all looking forward to hearing the beautiful

programme that they have offered. This has

a contrapuntal theme (so, to that extent, joins

hands with Phantasm’s programme). It begins

with Bach and ends with Britten but with one

of Haydn’s most beautiful string quartets in

the middle.

One special element of this programme

is the world premiere of Gareth Farr’s Te

Kōanga (“Spring”). This piece was generously

commissioned by the family of Keith Lyons in his

memory. Keith was well-known in string-playing

circles as a skilled and sympathetic luthier,

making and repairing valuable instruments. He

was also a cellist. A string quartet from Gareth is

a fitting tribute.

The Heath Quartet are well known in the U.K. for

their concerts for young people at Wigmore Hall

and elsewhere. In addition to their subscription

Peter Walls ONZM

Chief Executive

Music Up Close | Puoro Taupiri Chamber Music New Zealand

concerts, they are giving a concert for primary

and intermediate-age children in Wellington, a

family concert in Dunedin and will be involved in

workshops and performances with the students

at Sistema Aotearoa in South Auckland. CMNZ is

proud of its education and outreach programme

and grateful to the Heath Quartet for their

willingness to be part of that.

I would also like to thank Rosalind Giffney and

her colleagues at Sistema Aotearoa for their

enthusiasm and assistance. We are very grateful

to Maurice and Kaye Clark who have made it

possible for us to bring children from low decile

schools into central Wellington for the Heath

Quartet’s education concert.

This tour is supported by the CMNZ Foundation.

The Foundation exists to support chamber music

in New Zealand. It is, in turn, funded through

the thoughtfulness of music lovers. Please think

about sustaining the work of the Foundation

through a donation or making provision in your

will. Don’t hesitate to call me if you would like to

talk about this.

2 Chamber Music New Zealand

Do you want more out of your concert experience? Come along to our free CMNZ Prelude Series. Enjoy artist Q&A sessions, pre-concert talks, panel discussions and performances.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:0800 CONCERT (266 2378) chambermusic.co.nz/prelude

Photo: Andi Crown

PRELUDE SERIES

The charismatic and sought-after Heath Quartet

won the 2016 Gramophone Chamber Award for

their recording of the complete string quartets

of Sir Michael Tippett, and in May 2013 became

the first ensemble in fifteen years to win the

prestigious Royal Philharmonic Society’s Young

Artists Award. Formed in 2002 at the Royal

Northern College of Music they were selected

for representation by YCAT, awarded a Borletti-

Buitoni Special Ensemble Scholarship and in

2012 won the Ensemble Prize at the Festspiele

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern where they are now

regular visitors.

Following their award-winning debut recording

of Tippett on the Wigmore LIVE label, the quartet

recorded two discs for the Harmonia Mundi/

PIAS label featuring Tchaikovsky’s first and third

quartets (November 2016) and the complete

Bartók quartets (June 2017) respectively, both

receiving outstanding feedback in the press.

HEATH QUARTETOliver Heath violin

Sara Wolstenholme violin

Gary Pomeroy viola

Christopher Murray cello

“…an electrifying intensity, maintaining an irresistible impetus and negotiating abrupt character changes with aplomb…”

- Stephen Pettitt, The Sunday Times, 4 June

2017 [Bartók, Complete String Quartets]

In 2017/18 the quartet returns to Wigmore Hall

at numerous points in the season for a series

of concerts programmed around a complete

cycle of Jörg Widmann’s quartets, alongside

collaborators including Nils Mönkemeyer,

Hannes Minnaar and Carolyn Sampson. Jörg

Widmann’s quartets are also the basis for

their debut at the Pierre Boulez Saal in Berlin

in March 2018, where the composer and

clarinetist is an artist in focus. Other highlights

include a return to the Concertgebouw in

Amsterdam. They will also return to North

America for appearances at the Chicago

Chamber Music Society and Lincoln Center

among others, as well as continuing their

residence at Middlebury College in Vermont.

The quartet also maintain a strong presence

at home with appearances throughout the

season in Cambridge, Chester, Leicester and

Manchester among others, as well as having

a continued association with British festivals

such as Dartington, Kilkenny, Ryedale and

Two Moors.

Notable performances of previous seasons

have included the world premiere of a John

Tavener piece at the BBC Proms, concerts

at the Beethovenfest Bonn, Mecklenburgh-

Vorpommern Festival and their debuts at the

Musée d’Orsay and Louvre Auditorium in Paris.

Photo: Simon Way

4 MUSIC UP CLOSE

J.S. BACH (1685—1750)Chorale Preludes

GARETH FARR (1968—)Te Kōanga

"'Te Kōanga' means Spring or 'Planting Season'

in Te Reo Māori. Written in the Spring of

2017, the piece is a celebration of life and

regeneration, and the happiness that the return

of the sun gives us.

Ian Lyons was a cellist and luthier in Wellington,

New Zealand, who passed away suddenly and

unexpectedly in 2015.

In addition to his passion for music, he was

passionate about nature and the outdoors and

spent much time observing and experiencing

the beautiful and rich environment that

Wellington boasts. This piece is not a lament

for Ian - rather, it is a joyous celebration of the

things that were most important to him."

Distinguished New Zealand composer Gareth

Farr has received commissions from orchestras,

ensembles, and soloists from around the world.

His music has reached diverse audiences not

only inside theatres and concert halls, but also

at international events, including the 2000

and 2008 Olympic Games and the 2011 Rugby

World Cup. Farr has received prestigious

awards for his music and in 2006 became an

Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit

for services to music and entertainment. He

studied composition and percussion at the

University of Auckland, Victoria University of

Wellington and the Eastman School of Music in

Upstate New York.

Duration: 10 minutes

Commissioned by the Chamber Music New Zealand Trust to be performed by the Heath Quartet. In memory of Ian Lyons, this commission is generously supported by the Lyons Family.

Wenn wir in höchsten Nöten sein (When in the Hour of Utmost Need), BWV 641Das alte Jahr vergangen ist (The Old Year Has Passed Away), BWV 614 O Mensch, bewein' dein' Sünde gross(O Man, Bewail your Great Sin), BWV 622

Between 1708 and 1717, Johann Sebastian Bach lived in Weimar, where he held the position of court organist. During this time he wrote many of his Chorale Preludes – short verses played by the organ to introduce a congregational hymn. By Bach’s time, these sacred interludes had developed as a genre in their own right. Organists embellished the melody and added parts to create polyphonic harmonies that lead smoothly from one phrase to the next. Bach combined imaginative countermelodies with the original hymn tunes to achieve an expressiveness that sets his Chorale Preludes apart from others in the genre. Additionally, he considered the Chorale Prelude an invaluable teaching tool. As his son, C. P. E. Bach (also a notable composer), explained: ‘first he wrote the bass [of the chorale] himself, then [the students] had to invent the alto and tenor parts for themselves…this is indisputably the best way of learning composition, including harmony.’

The three Chorale Preludes performed tonight come from Bach’s Orgel-Büchlein, a set of 45 melodies on Lutheran chorales. Wenn wir in höchsten Nöten sein (When in the Hour of Utmost Need) BWV 641 reverberates with a sense of dignity. This is followed by Das alte Jahr vergangen ist (The Old Year Has Passed Away) BWV 614, a similarly-paced piece with bold chromaticism. Lastly, O Mensch, bewein' dein' Sünde gross (O Man, Bewail your Great Sin), BWV 622 expresses the Passion – Bach later set the same hymn in his St Matthew Passion.

Duration: 10 minutes 5Heath Quartet

FRANZ JOSEPH HAYDN (1732—1809) String Quartet No. 55 in D Major, op. 71, no. 2

Franz Joseph Haydn may commonly be known

as the father of the symphony, but his impact

on the string quartet is perhaps even more

impressive. He composed around seventy works

in the genre, mostly in three bursts of activity

across his career. An example of his late style,

Haydn composed String Quartet No. 55 in 1793.

He intended to present this new work in London

on his upcoming second visit. Haydn thrived

in London’s vibrant artistic world. At the time

of his first visit, in 1791, he had spent 30 years

directing music at the Austro-Hungarian court of

Eszterházy. The prospect of earning substantially

more performing, composing and teaching

for the English aristocracy surely helped lure

him back to England, but the experience also

influenced his compositional style.

I. Adagio – Allegro

II. Andante cantabile

III. Menuetto – Allegro

IV. Allegretto

The first movement’s slow introduction leads

to an energetic, melody-driven Allegro,

characterised by unusual octave leaps. The

lilting and delicate second movement evolves

through different textures as Haydn unites and

separates each instrument’s distinct voice. The

minuet, which Haydn typically placed as the

third movement, includes a change to the minor

key that gives this brief section an intriguing

character. The opening of the fourth and final

movement exudes a folk-like quality reminiscent

of English songs Haydn undoubtedly knew

from his first trip. Haydn masterfully restrains the

music’s pace to create a sense of anticipation

before leading us to a flourishing climax.

Duration: 20 minutes

Haydn’s String Quartet No. 55 is an animated dialogue of melodies, capturing the composer’s innovative and incomparable mature style.

6 MUSIC UP CLOSE

Britten’s talent as a dramatic composer shines

through this String Quartet. Each instrument is

a subtle and individual character wound into

some of Britten’s most evocative descriptive

writing. Britten alters the conventional structural

proportions of the first movement. He gradually

infuses his musical ideas in the first section,

but curtails the last section, when we would

typically expect to hear these ideas restated.

The phasing of voices in the fleeting Vivace

follows in masterful contrast. The third

movement reimagines a chaconne, a Baroque

dance form used by Purcell (and others).

Usually this form overlays a repeated bass line

with melodic variations. Here, the stability of the

bass line is passed between the instruments’

registers. Solo cadenzas space the movement’s

sections in a modernist representation of

Baroque embellishments.

Duration: 30 minutes

Benjamin Britten composed his String Quartet

No. 2 in 1945, soon after World War Two ended

– a war he condemned as a conscientious

objector. Just weeks after the allied

liberation, Britten accompanied the violinist

Yehudi Menuhin to Germany to perform for

concentration camp survivors; the experience

profoundly affected him.

Back at home near England’s Suffolk coast,

Britten continued the burst of creative energy

launched by his efforts composing the

opera Peter Grimes the previous year. Britten

directed some of this energy to close study

of the English Baroque composer Henry

Purcell’s music – at this time arguably the most

successful English-language opera composer.

String Quartet No. 2 premiered on the 250th

anniversary of Purcell’s death, 21 November,

performed by the all-female Zorian Quartet.

BENJAMIN BRITTEN (1913—1976)String Quartet No. 2 in C Major, op. 36

I. Allegro calmo, senza rigore

II. Vivace

III. Chacony: sostenuto

Britten’s String Quartet No. 2 will ensnare you between layers of colours and moods: its absorbing energy coats a nagging sense of anguish.

7Heath Quartet

Wellington

13SEPT

15SEPT

Christchurch

16SEPT

Auckland

CHAMBER MUSIC NEW ZEALAND presents

Ruben Aharonian ViolinSergei Lomovsky Violin

Igor Naidin ViolaVladimir Balshin Cello

RUSSIA

For tickets and information go to:chambermusic.co.nz/borodinquartet

Immerse yourself in Russian mastery

“There can be no greater experience in chamber music than the Borodin Quartet playing Shostakovich”

~ The Australian JOIN

THE CO

NV

ERSATION

Core Funder

Free prelude event 45 mins prior to performance

Generationyou

the future of classical music

UNDER THE AGE OF 35? Unlock new classical music experiences,

and get pay your age tickets!

STUDENT TICKETSAre only $10**Booking fees apply

Do you love music? Shape the future and share the magic of live classical music experiences.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

0800 CONCERT (266 2378)chambermusic.co.nz/genyou

Generationyou

the future of classical music

UNDER THE AGE OF 35?Unlock new classical music experiences,

and get pay your age tickets!

STUDENT TICKETSAre only $10**Booking fees apply

Do you love music? Shape the future and share the magic of live classical music experiences.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

0800 CONCERT (266 2378)chambermusic.co.nz/genyou

Lauren Jack (viola), Milo Benn (cello), Andy Yu (violin) and Lucas Baker (violin) – lovers of Shostakovich, and winners of the 2017 NZCT Chamber Music Contest. Wellington’s Druz’ya Quartet took home the top honours for the Contest, only the second time a group from Wellington have ever taken the prize in its 53-year history.

“Winning the contest is amazing,” said Lucas Baker. All four members have previously performed with other ensembles in the Contest, but this was the first time any of them had made it through to the National Finals. Andy Yu added that they had chosen the Shostakovich string quartet after it was suggested by New Zealand String Quartet violinist Helene Pohl. “I listened to it and thought ‘this is the one’ and we all really liked it.”

The Contest has helped realise the dreams of New Zealand’s young musicians for over half a century, 2017 saw the musical visions of Andy, Lauren, Lucas and Milo become a reality on the Contest stage.

This year, over 1550 students from across Aotearoa will take to the stage. We don’t yet know whose dreams will become a reality in 2018 but we do know they need your support.

Please help realise the musical ambitions of young New Zealanders by giving to CMNZ’s Annual Appeal.Visit: chambermusic.co.nz/donatePhone: 04 802 0759Email: encore@chambermusic.co.nz

HELP REALISE THEIR DREAM

Photo: Vanessa Rushton

Thank You!To all of our generous donors who support CMNZ throughout the year.

Founders' Circle MembersAnonymousGraeme EdwardsArnold and Reka SolomonsThe Estate of Jenni CaldwellThe Estate of Aileen ClaridgeThe Estate of Walter FreitagThe Estate of Chisne GunnThe Estate of Warwick Gordon HarrisThe Estate of Joan KerrThe Estate of Monica Taylor Ensemble ($10,000+)Anonymous Robin & Sue HarveyKaye & Maurice ClarkGill and Peter DavenportPeter and Carolyn DiesslProfessor Jack Richards

Octet ($5,000+)M Hirschfeld Children's TrustHylton LeGrice and Angela LindsayThe Lyons Family - in memory of Ian Lyons Murray ShawKerrin and Noel VautierLloyd Williams and Cally McWha

Quintet ($2,500+)Joy ClarkJohn and Trish GribbenAnn HardenJane KominikCollin PostArnold and Reka SolomonsPeter and Kathryn Walls Quartet ($1,000+)Anonymous (2)Donald and Susan BestRoger and Joanna BoothPhilip and Rosalind BurdonMD and MA CarrRick and Lorraine ChristieRoger ChristmasThe Cranfylde Charitable TrustPeter and Rae FehlFinchley TrustDame Jennifer GibbsPatricia GillionDavid and Heather Hutton

Linda MacFarlaneElizabeth McLeayRoger and Jenny MountfortBarbara PeddieRoger ReynoldsMartin and Catherine Spencer Basil & Jenny StantonAlison ThomsonAnn TrotterJudith TrotterAnna WilsonBruce Wilson and Jill WhiteAnn WylieDavid Zwartz

Trio ($500+)Anonymous (6)Diane BaguleyPhilippa BatesHarry and Anne BonningJD CullingtonJonathan CweorthGraeme and Di EdwardsHanno FairburnTom and Kay FarrarJohn FarrellAnne French Consulting LtdBelinda GalbraithPat GibsonLaurie GreigDouglas and Barbara HolborowE Prof Les HolborowMichael Houstoun and Mike NicolaidiCaroline ListFiona Macmillan and Briony MacmillanMargaret MalaghanRaymond and Helen MatiasAE McAloonAndrew and Mary McEwenShelley and Euan MurdochPrue OldeMiles RogersSylvia RosevearPeter and Juliet RoweJohn and Kathryn SinclairRoss Steele Mary SmitPriscilla TobinDavid TrippPatricia UngerRichard and Elaine WestlakeTim Wilkinson

Every gift of $5 or more is eligible for tax purposes and provides you with a tax credit, a receipt will be issued for tax deduction purposes.

BranchesAuckland: Chair, Victoria Silwood; Concert Manager, Bleau BusteneraHamilton: Chair, Murray Hunt; Concert Manager, Gaye DuffillNew Plymouth: Concert Manager, Catherine MartinHawkes Bay: Chair, June Clifford; Concert Manager, Rhondda PoonManawatu: Chair, Graham Parsons; Concert Manager, Virginia Warbrick Wellington: Concert Manager, Rachel Hardie Nelson: Chair, Annette Monti; Concert Manager, Clare MontiChristchurch: Concert Manager, Jody KeehanDunedin: Chair, Terence Dennis; Concert Manager, Richard DingwallSouthland: Chair, Rosie Beattie; Concert Manager, Jennifer Sinclair

StaffChief Executive, Peter WallsArtistic Manager, Catherine GibsonArtistic Assistant, Jack HobbsEducation and Outreach Coordinator, Sue JaneOperations Coordinator, Rachel HardieDevelopment Manager, TBCDevelopment Executive, Virginia CloseMarketing Manager, Shelley DavisDesign & Print Coordinator, Darcy WoodsMarketing Executive, TBCTicketing & Database Coordinator, Laurel BrucePublicity & Communications Executive, Anna van der LeijOffice Administrator, Becky Holmes

BoardLloyd Williams (Chair), Quentin Hay, Gretchen La Roche, Bruce Phillips, Matthew Savage, Vanessa Van den Broek, Kerrin Vautier

Regional Presenters Marlborough Music Society Inc (Blenheim), Christopher's Classics (Christchurch), Cromwell & Districts Community Arts Council, Geraldine Academy of Performance & Arts, Musica Viva Gisborne, Music Society Eastern Southland (Gore) Arts Far North (Kaitaia), Aroha Music Society (Kerikeri), Chamber Music Hutt Valley, Motueka Music Group, Oamaru Opera House, South Waikato Music Society (Putaruru), Waimakariri Community Arts Council (Rangiora), Rotorua Music Federation, Taihape Music Group, Tauranga Musica Inc, Te Awamutu Music Federation, Upper Hutt Music Society, Waikanae Music Society, Wanaka Concert Society Inc, Chamber Music Wanganui, Warkworth Music Society, Wellington Chamber Music Trust, Whakatane Music Society, Whangarei Music Society.

Level 4, 75 Ghuznee Street PO Box 6238, Wellington0800 CONCERT (266 2378)

info@chambermusic.co.nzwww.chambermusic.co.nz

/ChamberMusicNZ

© Chamber Music New Zealand 2018No part of this programme may be reproduced without the prior permission of Chamber Music New Zealand.

REGIONAL CONCERTS

THE KUGELS(soprano saxophone, violin, double bass, accordion)Motueka 25 July

KLARA KOLLEKTIV(clarinet, violin, piano)Whakatane 19 JulyWarkworth 21 JulyWhangarei 22 JulyRotorua 24 July Lower Hutt 26 JulyWhanganui 27 JulyWaikanae 29 July Wanaka 9 August

RICHARD MAPP(piano)Rotorua 22 August Kerikeri 24 AugustMotueka 30 AugustBlenheim 31 AugustWellington 2 SeptemberUpper Hutt 3 SeptemberTaihape 5 SeptemberTe Awamutu 7 September

EMILY SUN & GAMAL KHAMIS(violin, piano)Cromwell 9 OctoberBlenheim 13 OctoberGisborne 15 OctoberNapier 17 October Whanganui 18 October

A special thank you to all of our sponsors and funding partners.

THANK YOU

Community Trust of SouthlandEastern & Central Community TrustFirst Light Community FoundationFour Winds FoundationInvercargill Licensing TrustItalian EmbassyJudith Clark Memorial FundMt Wellington Foundation

Trust HouseTrust WaikatoTSB Community TrustTurnovsky Endowment TrustWellington City CouncilWellington Community TrustWinton & Margaret Bear Charitable Trust

New Plymouth District CouncilOtago Community TrustPelorus TrustPub CharityRātā FoundationSouthern TrustSOUNZ Centre for NZ MusicThe Adam Foundation

National Touring Partners

Funding Partners

Core Funder Supporting Funder

National Business Partners

Regional Partners Education & Community Partners

Key Funding Partners CMNZ recognizes the following funders who generously support our work.

EnsembleZefiro

Chamber Music New Zealand presents

For booking information visit

chambermusic.co.nz/ensemblezefiro0800 CONCERT (266 2378)

Core Funder

Light, elegant and unapologetically entertaining, dine out on a banquetof Tafelmusik and Mozart’s abundant, delicious divertimenti.

“Virtuosic ease”~ Basel Landschaftliche Zeitung

Touring NZ: 10 Aug – 22 Aug