Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra - Mountain King
Theodor Severin Kittelsen - Peer Gynt In the Hall of the Mountain King (1890) Photo: Public Domain
From their 2017 'Premier Series' of concerts, the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra performs a programme of Grieg, Brahms, and Nielsen.
After the First Suite of selections from Edvard Grieg's Peer Gynt music (including 'In the Hall of the Mountain King'), Russian violinist Ilya Gringolts joined them for Brahms's Violin Concerto.
He followed that with a dazzling encore - the opening movement called 'Ménétrier' from the Impressions of Childhood by Georges Enescu. The title translates as 'fiddler', and the piece startlingly conjures up the improvisations of a gypsy street violinist.
The concert ended with Nielsen's Sinfonia Espansiva, which features - unusually - a pair of wordless vocal soloists in the second movement evoking a mood of pastoral serenity. Soprano Tabatha McFadyen and baritone Jonathan Eyers feature here. Elsewhere, the symphony is full of vitality.
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GRIEG: Peer Gynt, Suite No 1
8:00 PM.Performed by the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Giordano Bellincampi. Auckland Town Hall, 1 June 2017. Audio
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BRAHMS: Violin Concerto in D Op 77
8:00 PM.Performed by Ilya Gringolts and the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Giordano Bellincampi. Auckland Town Hall, 1 June 2017. Read more Audio
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ENESCU: Ménétrier, from Impressions of Childhood
8:00 PM.The title 'Ménétrier' translates as "fiddler" or "street violinist". Performed as an encore by Ilya Gringolts. Auckland Town Hall, 1 June 2017. Audio
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NIELSEN: Symphony No 3, 'Sinfonia Espansiva'
8:00 PM.Performed by the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra with soprano Tabatha McFadyen and baritone Jonathan Eyers. Giordano Bellincampi conducts. Auckland Town Hall, 1 June 2017. Audio
Recorded by RNZ Concert in Auckland Town Hall, 1 June 2017.
Producer: Tim Dodd
Engineer: Rangi Powick
