The third concert in Chamber Music Wanganui's Celebrity subscription series will take place on Saturday, May 18 at 7.30pm in the Prince Edward Auditorium, Whanganui Collegiate School.
Duo Co Legno, a rare combination of cello with marimba, are the touring artists, who will be mid-way through their nine-concert tour for
Chamber Music NZ.
Heleen du Plessis (cello) and Yoshiko Tsuruta (marimba) formed their duo in 2014 to perform the NZ premiere of South African composer, Peter Klatzow's A Sense of Place, which Heleen had commissioned for her project Cello for Africa, exploring the notion of music, people and place and a sense of belonging.
Inspired by the matching warm sonorities of their instruments, they have since developed a wide and exciting repertoire — celebrating a huge variety of musical styles from all over the world. Both players are popular soloists and chamber musicians; their individual strengths come together to form a dynamic duo.
On this tour Duo Col Legno share a diverse programme that brings together Tchaikovsky, Arvo Pärt, traditional Japanese songs and the infectious rhythms of Bulgarian guitarist and composer, Atanas Ourkouzounov. They have also commissioned Wellington-based composer Gareth Farr to write a new work for their tour. Tahu-nui-a-Rangi is the first work ever written for cello and marimba in New Zealand. Tahu-nui-a-Rangi is Maori for the Aurora Australis (Southern Lights) and incorporates the belief of some Maori iwi that the aurorae are ancestors' campfires reflected in the sky.
Apart from depicting the southern night sky in his music, Farr managed to blend the sound of a string and a percussion instrument by using extended techniques, such as bowing the marimba. This produces a unique "aurora-like" sound that merges beautifully with the cello's artificial harmonics. Furthermore, a string technique called col legno — "with the wood", in which the cellist taps the string with the wooden part of the bow — is used, while the marimbist strikes the edge of the bar with the shaft of the mallets.
This creates a percussive effect to both instruments.
This will be an unusual performance, the singing tone of Heleen's cello weaving through the reverberations of Yoshiko's marimba — the largest in New Zealand.
Both players are outstanding soloists.
Yoshiko has won numerous awards, notable among these are International Australian Marimba Competition (2016), reaching the semi-finals of International Marimba Competition in Salzburg (2012), Percussion Prize/Tiromoana Recital Prize at the Gisborne International Music Competition (2009) and first prize in the NZ National Concerto Competition (2008).
Based in Dunedin, Heleen performs in diverse settings and genres with distinguished artists such as Terence Dennis, Matthew Marshall, Luca Manghi, the Peninsula Trio and the 12 most prominent cellists at the Adam Chamber Music Festival in Nelson (2017).
This concert is sponsored by Driving Miss Daisy, with thanks from Chamber Music Wanganui.
Tickets are available in advance from the Royal Wanganui Opera House Box Office, or at the door (no eftpos)
Adults $35, Seniors $32, subscribers $20 (or pre-paid), students $5.