Big names to give free NZSO pre-concert talks
Wednesday 26 January 2011, 3:44PM
By New Zealand Symphony Orchestra
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Acclaimed composer Jack Body is the first of many leading classical music identities to appear in this year’s NZSO programme of free pre-concert talks, beginning on Saturday.
NZSO Pre-Concert Talks are presented just before the orchestra takes to the stage and give music-lovers extra insight into each evening’s concert programme. This year’s series is bigger than ever, featuring more than 60 nationwide talks.
Jack Body kicks off the series in Wellington, when he discusses his Chinese-inspired opera Alley on Saturday’s opening night of the NZSO Postcards from Exotic Places concert.
Selected arias from the opera appear in the concert programme, which will then tour Auckland and Christchurch. Body will also speak before those concerts.
Jack Body says the audience will hear personal insights about Rewi Alley, the complex New Zealander who inspired the production: “I’d like to give the background to Alley – who he was and what he achieved and new perspectives on his life and character.”
Other series highlights include a 12 March presentation by prominent Australian arts personality Kim Williams, recalling his personal memories of avant-garde composer Luciano Berio. The talk precedes the NZSO’s performance of Berio’s landmark Sinfonia in Auckland.
In September, Gareth Farr is the pre-concert speaker before the world premiere of his latest work for the NZSO. In November, film music conductor Frank Strobel will discuss the art of bringing to life Fritz Lang’s silent sci-fi classic Metropolis.
NZSO Pre-Concert Talks are open to the public with limited seating on a first come, first served basis.
The talks begin 45 minutes before the scheduled concert, and last for 30 minutes. Previously held in the concert auditorium, the 2011 talks will take place elsewhere in the concert venue, or at a nearby location.
The exception will be Timaru on 13 August, where the talk takes place in the concert hall one hour prior to the performance.
For the full 2011 programme and location details visit http://nzso.co.nz/concerts/preconcert_talks
NZSO Pre-concert talks will take place in: Ashburton, Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Hamilton, Invercargill, Napier, Nelson, New Plymouth, Oamaru, Palmerston North, Rotorua, Tauranga, Timaru and Wellington.