The finishing touches are being put on the Christchurch Town Hall, before it’s opening gig tonight.
Christchurch band Shapeshifter return home to perform with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, 13 years after doing it the first time around.
Shapeshifter and the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra rehearse Photo: Supplied
Shapeshifter guitarist Sam Trevethick grew up in the city. He says christening the Town Hall with the Orchestra is rather special.
“Right from the start I was being taken here to all sorts of concerts; I’m familiar with this venue,” he says. “It’s kind of like coming home and it’s all shiny and new and looking and sounding amazing. We are really happy.”
Shapeshifter 2016 Photo: supplied
The Town Hall organ will also be part of the show. Shapeshifter singer P Digs says it’s a rare treat. “It’s pretty amazing. We actually just finished the rehearsal… we had the organ playing by itself, and oh my goodness! Amazing!” he says. “It reverberated through my body. I can’t say we’ve had too many organs in our set before.”
Christchurch Symphony Orchestra CEO Gretchen La Roche Photo: Supplied
Christchurch Symphony Orchestra Chief Executive Gretchen La Roche says it was the obvious choice to have the band open the newly restored Town Hall with the orchestra.
“We loved playing with them back in 2006,” she says. “it seems like a great idea to have them in. Friday night dance, orchestra, band what could be better?”
“It’s wonderful to be back in the centre and heart of the city, a central place that everyone can get to. It’s a venue that holds a special place in the hearts of many people, and frankly it’s great to be back.”
Benjamin Northey Photo: Matt Irwin
Benjamin Northey will conduct this evening’s show. For him tonight is history in the making.
“it’s pretty exciting, and very historic,” he says. “bringing two different worlds of music together, fortunately Shapeshifter are great musicians and that makes that collaboration a lot easier.
“Sonically we’re working in very different worlds. It’s a very loud band and we’re an orchestra. We like to think we’re quite loud too!”
Music arranger Hamish Oliver had the tough job of balancing the band and the orchestra. He says it’s important to allow both to shine.
“when the band are full on in a section going for it, then I think if you want to add anything, high frequencies is what you need. Particularly metallic percussion and high violins. Just give the band a go for a while and when the orchestra can be heard start mixing it up a bit more.”
He arranged Shapeshifter’s 'In Colour' and 'Monarch'. “it was such a privilege to arrange 'Monarch' and its enormous and I hope I’ve made it even more enormous but there’s something about 'In Colour'. It’s really beautiful.”
Photo: Shapeshifter
Long time Shapeshifter fan Karen Barron was at the original Shapeshifter/CSO performance, which was recorded by RNZ. “I still rate it as one of the best I have ever been to,” she says. “[It’s] one hundred percent regular on not only my playlist but the play list of my children. They love them too and have seen them live every chance they get.”
For Barron the opening means a lot to not just her, but to the city. “We lost so much in the earthquakes that the city doesn't resemble the city I knew so well and loved to party in. We lost so many music venues and as time goes by the memories of the venues fade,” she says. “Some of the best Shapeshifter concerts were the intimate ones at the Civic on Manchester and the DJ sets at the Concrete Club."
“So tonight means getting back into one of the best acoustic venues in the world, and remembering some of the best times of my life.”
Christchurch Town Hall restored auditorium Photo: CHRISTCHURCH CITY COUNCIL
The acoustics for the renovated Town Hall was created by Sir Harold Marshall, who led the design of the acoustics originally. He says the acoustics are the same in the new hall as the old. He worked with the architect to get the acoustics just right.
“The meeting of minds behind the architect and the acoustician is the only route on which you can make a new space; making an architectural statement that is completely new and yet fulfilling its acoustical objectives... all the famous room have involved that,” he says.
Another new aspect to the Town Hall is the inclusion of a new Steinway piano, chosen by the CSO's guest pianist Tony Chen Li. He visited the Steinway factory in Germany to pick out the new addition and was told before leaving that he needed to choose an instrument that could deliver a powerful sound in a large space.
Tony Chen Lin Photo: Jeffery Wen
“I was very privileged [to be asked]. It’s a lot of pressure doing something like that. I guess I did my best!” he says. “It was made much easier for me because it's Steinway and you can’t go wrong with such a renowned maker of the instrument.”
“They also have their own individualities and certain characters that are individual to each instrument.”
He won’t be the first person to play the Steinway though. Renowned New Zealand pianist Michael Houstoun will have that honour on Saturday when the duo performs Mozart’s Concerto for Two Pianos with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra.
That performance will be broadcast live on RNZ Concert from 7.30 on Saturday night, presented by Christine Argyle.
