Concerts
Russian Romantics, NZSO & Freddy Kempf
Alexander Lazarev conductor
Freddy Kempf piano
Concert 6
DVORAK The Noon Witch
TCHAIKOVSKY Piano Concerto No.1
PROKOFIEV Symphony No.7
The unforgettable opening of Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto is the epitome of Russian ardour and Romantic splendour. It’s just one of many magnificent moments in this much loved concerto. It is interesting that of all Tchaikovsky’s works, this was one of the most controversial. Though he was advised to rework it, Tchaikovsky held firm and didn’t change a note, a stand for which audiences today must gratefully applaud. The prodigious Freddy Kempf performs this classic with his trademark panache.
If any composer was heir to the Tchaikovsky tradition it was Sergei Prokofiev. Equal parts modern cosmopolitan and sentimental romantic, Prokofiev created works that blend irony, delicious melody and thrilling razzle-dazzle. His Seventh Symphony, his final, seems to come from the same innocent world as his Peter and the Wolf, but it is cast in a sombre key of C sharp minor. In spite of the high-spirited – and sometimes slightly savage – play of its central movements, this symphony has more than a hint of darkness. Prokofiev was encouraged by authorities to revise the ending to be happier. With Maestro Lazarev we will hear both the ‘official’ finale and then Prokofiev’s original, more ambiguous ending.
Hamilton Founders Theatre / Thu 17 June / 8pm
Book at TICKETEK / 0800 842 538
Auckland Town Hall / Fri 18 June / 6.30pm
Book at THE EDGE / 0800 289 842
Christchurch Town Hall / Wed 23 June / 6.30pm
Book at TICKETEK / 0800 842 538
Wellington Michael Fowler Centre / Fri 25 June / 6.30pm
Book at TICKETEK / 0800 842 538
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