From the virtuoso fireworks of Paganini’s I Palpiti: Variations on a Theme by Rossini to the lush, sentimentality of Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings, Strings Possessed explores the breadth and beauty of the violin in one fine swoop.
This year’s fourth and final NZSO Soloists Series concert opens with Rossini’s Sonata No. 6 before our very own NZSO Principal double bass, Hiroshi Ikematsu, teams up with Russian violinist Ilya Kaler to display his own brilliance in Bottesini’s Grand Duo Concertant.
Hiroshi’s playing will transform your perception of the double bass from a stabilising timbre within the orchestra to an instrument of superb virtuosic quality.
“Bottesini was widely acclaimed as the ‘Paganini of the double bass’ at that time,” says Hiroshi. “All of his music is full of Italian poetic turn of mind and virtuosity, like Paganini.
“The violin and bass solo sing like a soprano and tenor in Italian opera. You can really hear the high tones from the double bass which you never normally hear in the Orchestra. My left arm moves very quickly, within 100cm,” he says.
The impressive technical violin mastery in Paganini’s I Palpiti wowed 19th century audiences with its difficulty and sparked legends that the violinist was in cahoots with the Devil.
What a way to top off November – with the exciting NZSO Soloists Series, in association with National Bank Private Banking and Ryman Healthcare Ltd.
The NZSO String Ensemble, including 24 Orchestra players and featuring extraordinary Russian violinist Ilya Kaler, will be directed by NZSO Concertmaster Vesa-Matti Leppänen. They will perform six concerts in seven days – Wellington (16 November), Napier (17 November), Hamilton (18 November), Auckland (19 November), Invercargill (22 November), and Dunedin (23 November).
A free pre-concert talk takes place 45-minutes before each performance inside the concert venue. NZSO Concertmaster Vesa-Matti Leppänen, Russian Violinist Ilya Kaler, and Andrew Thomson (Principal Second Violins) will lead the discussion.
Prepare to be stunned in Strings Possessed!