Programme

Anthony Ritchie World Premiere
Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 2
Jessie Montgomery Strum
Beethoven Symphony No. 7

Music Director Emeritus James Judd and the NZSO perform three works that were well loved from their first performance, and one new work that is sure to enjoy the same acclaim.

Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony premiered to wildly ecstatic applause, and its famous Allegretto funeral march was immediately encored. Tchaikovsky likewise enjoyed a rapturous reception for his Second Symphony. This symphony, sometimes nicknamed Little Russian, should really be nicknamed his Ukrainian Symphony, given its loving use of Ukrainian folk tunes. Similarly, New Yorker Jessie Montgomery alludes to folk and popular music in her work Strum — specifically Appalachian fiddle music and jazz — resulting in a piece that, the composer writes, “transforms into ecstatic celebration”.

We complete this exuberant programme with a new commission from Kiwi composer Anthony Ritchie, who will undoubtedly add another musical gem to this concert of favourites.