Auckland Chamber Orchestra shine in Stravinsky and Dean

An evening of Adagio cello concertante works in Auckland was enlivened by a stirring Beethoven Fifth. 

As usual, the performances here were thoroughly committed, but repeated cases of uncertain intonation and rhythmic imprecision prevented them from reaching the heights the audience have experienced in earlier programmes.

The audience for Lucia di Lammermoor was treated to a young, very believable cast showcasing a star in the making in the form of New Zealand-born Samoan soprano Marlena Devoe. 

Auckland Chamber Orchestra’s stunningly played “Voice of the Whale” concert featured 20th-century and contemporary works, including pieces by George Crumb, Michel van der Aa and John Adams.

Auckland Chamber Orchestra returned to Raye Freedman Arts Centre with a typically eclectic programme. The pieces were performed in reverse chronological order, from Ligeti of the 1950s back to Wagner of the 1860s, via Poulenc and Janáček.

How does one approach performing a piece as ubiquitous and overexposed as Vivaldi’s Four Seasons (particularly here in New Zealand, where various movements have haunted us through the National Bank television advertisements for years now)? The Auckland Chamber Orchestra, with musical director Peter Scholes, decided in this case to recast Vivaldi’s concertos as works for wind and orchestra with Sch