You don’t have long to wait now before our 2019 National Tour! In June and July we’re coming to some of the country’s loveliest historic and modern venues, so be in quick to secure your spot for a warming mid-winter experience.
This year we’re presenting two programmes of music that will transport you from the 18th to 21st centuries. The music we’ve carefully selected by Mozart, Haydn, Ravel, Dvořák, Janáček, Shostakovich, and Chinese composer Gao Ping is brimming with luscious melodies and exhilarating rhythms – and we’ll introduce you to a few of the intriguing narratives behind the music. Iconic Czech composer Leoš Janáček String Quartet No. 1, which appears on Programme One, is subtitled “Kreutzer Sonata” after Russian writer Leo Tolstoy’s novella of the same name. The music narrates this murderous tale – banned by Russian authorities upon its first publication in 1889 – about love and envy. For French composer Maurice Ravel, whose String Quartet we’ll perform on programme two, 1889 also proved a significant year. At the Paris World Fair that year, Ravel first heard Javanese Gamelan. The exotic, evocative sonorities of the gong ensemble entranced him and inspired his own writing.
Not only is there plenty on our musical menu to whet your appetite, our vineyard performances at Cloudy Bay (Blenheim), Church Road (Napier), and Cable Bay (Waiheke Island) will also provide the perfect excuse to relish in fine music with fine wine. To discover more and to book tickets, view here.