Conductor Carlos Kalmar united composers and musicians alike at the NZ Symphony Orchestra's most recent performance. Photo / Nancy Horowitz
Introducing the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra's Matauranga concert, conductor Carlos Kalmar spoke of the diverse cultural backgrounds of its four composers and the potentially unifying role of music.
His stirring conclusion lingered throughout the evening: "We are all in this together, and it can work."
It certainly did work from
the first mysterious murmurings of Michael Norris' new Matauranga (Rerenga), marking the current Cook anniversary with a highly charged blending of Alistair Fraser's taonga pūoro and full orchestra.
The often fragile sounds of the Māori instruments were mixed live by Norris, merging with and oscillating around a vibrant orchestral palette. It was a coming together as symbolic as it was sonic, a rich and thought-provoking response to a biculturalism that requires vigilant tending.
Scottish pianist Steven Osborne took us back to Cook's time with Mozart's A major concerto K 414. This was peerless pianism, his intense expressivity complemented by the luscious sweeps that Kalmar coaxed from generous ranks of violins. There was opportunity for elegant Viennese sparkle, especially at cadenza time, but Osborne's encore was low key; a beautifully understated Bagatelle from Beethoven's last years.
