Orchestra Wellington: Houstoun/Triumph!

Ko Tō Manawa, Ko Tōku Puritia

Ko Tō Manawa, Ko Tōku Puritia - Your Heart is My Heart: Take Hold

Taonga pūoro specialist Rob Thorne was attracted through post-rock affinities, to work with guitarist Tristan Dingemans (High Dependency Unit, Kahu). Discovering HDU's song 'Hold On', he says, he was excited by its simplicity, beauty and power and enticed by the idea of introducing a whole audience of intelligent music lovers to a synergistic musical realm that they likely didn't know about - this is Postrock 101: cinematic layered narrative. 

Rob Thorne & Orchestra Wellington Photo: Screengrab SOUNZ

As the orchestration by Thomas Goss grew, Thorne says he could hear whispers of Lilburn.

'Hold On' encourages us toward togetherness, a way of expressing what he believes we need as a nation in these complicated potentially divisive times. - that we reach for each other, and hold close what is dear to the other, as if it is ours. 

"When I believe your heart is mine and I take hold of this, I begin to care deeply for the differences in you."

Tristan Dingemans & Orchestra Wellington Photo: Screengrab SOUNZ

This work was commissioned during Rob Thorne's time as NZSM Composer-in-Residence 2017-18.

Orchestra Wellington playing Ko Tō Manawa, Ko Tōku: Puritia Photo: Screengrab SOUNZ

Recorded 30 November 2019, Michael Fowler Centre, Wellington by RNZ Concert

Producer: David McCaw

Engineer: Darryl Stack

BARBER: Piano Concerto Op 38

Michael Houstoun Photo: RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King

This concerto was Samuel Barber's last major work and earned him his second Pulitzer Prize as well as rave reviews from the critics when it was premièred during the opening celebrations for the Lincoln Center in New York.

There are three movements:

• Allegro appassionato
• Canzone: Moderato
• Allegro Molto

The first two movements were completed before the end of 1960, but the last movement was not completed until 15 days before the world première in 1962. According to John Browning who gave the first performance, the initial version of the piano part of the third movement was unplayable at the marked tempo. Barber apparently resisted reworking the piano part until Vladimir Horowitz reviewed it and also deemed it unplayable at full tempo. Then, the revised version of the work was met with great critical acclaim.

Recorded 30 November 2019, Michael Fowler Centre, Wellington by RNZ Concert

Producer: David McCaw

Engineer: Darryl Stack

PROKOFIEV: Prelude in C, Harp Op 127

Michael Houstoun Photo: John Hawkins

Recorded 30 November 2019, Michael Fowler Centre, Wellington by RNZ Concert

SHOSTAKOVICH: Symphony No 8 in C minor Op 65

Marc Taddei Photo: Screenshot SOUNZ

Publicly, this was a symphony mourning the 27 million Russian casualties of war.

Privately, it was Shostakovich's response to Stalin's atrocities. The authorities found it 'anti-Soviet' and by 1948 it was censored. Attempts were made to destroy all copies.

"Everyone had someone to cry over, but you had to cry silently, under the blanket, so no one would see ... I had to describe the horrible extermination machine and express protest against it. The seventh and eighth symphonies are my Requiems." ~ Dmitri Shostakovich, Testimony.

Symphony No 8 was written in the summer of 1943, and first performed on November 4 of that year by the USSR Symphony Orchestra under Yevgeny Mravinsky, to whom the work is dedicated. There are five movements.

Recorded 30 November 2019, Michael Fowler Centre, Wellington by RNZ Concert

Producer: David McCaw

Engineer: Darryl Stack