What a week for classical music in Whanganui. What a week indeed.
First, on Thursday evening (June 16), a gorgeous programme of Mozart and Wagner, then, on Saturday evening a stupendous, over-awing programme of Spanish music for solo piano.
I can hear you saying, surely not Mozart together with Wagner, they could never be a fit. But I went there for the Wagner: The Seigfried Idyll, one of those sublime pieces of music guaranteed to make my eyes leak. And leak they did with the sumptuous playing by the instrumentalists of the NZSO, playing as a chamber ensemble.
The Mozart was good too, the lesser known Serenata Noturna book ended with the ubiquitous Eine Kleine Nachtmusik. Sandwiched in-between: the leaky-eye Wagner Idyll.
Each piece was preceded by an interesting introduction by concert master Vesa-Matti Leppänen, or flutist Bridget Douglas.