The season opens with a violin and piano recital from a pair of very accomplished and sought-after Auckland musicians – violinist James Jin and pianist Xing Wang. James, after many years with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, now teaches at the University of Auckland School of Music, is guest Concertmaster of Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, and Artistic or Musical Director of many other organisations. Studies in NZ and United States led to numerous prizes and awards, including one of particular interest to Waikanae Music Society members – a 2015 scholarship from our Charitable Trust.

Xing Wang is one of New Zealand most sought-after pianists, as a concerto soloist with many New Zealand orchestras, as solo recitalist in many countries around the globe. She is a passionate chamber musician, particularly (along with James) with the Auckland Piano Trio which appeared in Waikanae in 2017. Xing has been a prize-winner in many competitions in New Zealand, USA, Italy and China.

The duo’s programme is guaranteed to please – along with two famous classical sonatas there will be recital favourites by Kreisler and Monti and a pair of intriguing Chinese compositions.

The Aroha String Quartet have given us some wonderful concerts over the years, but this time they are not just a quartet. They will be joined by four additional musicians to give a rare performance of Schubert’s iconic Octet for Wind and Strings. 

To open the concert the quartet will play a Mozart’s String Quartet. K589 was composed for Mozart’s visit to King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia. The King was an amateur cellist which explains why Mozart gave such a prominent role to the cello in this work.

Danish composer Carl Nielsen’s Serenata in vano for clarinet, bassoon, horn, cello and double bass brings a total sound contrast and a touch of whimsy to the concert. It is a light-hearted work in a single movement, with three sections depicting the “vain” efforts of some musicians to serenade an uninterested young woman.

The Schubert Octet is a very substantial work with six movements, all of them brimming with warmth, charm and glorious melody. The opening and concluding movements are prefaced by introductory passages in slow tempo, and the middle movements include an adagio, scherzo, andante theme with variations and menuetto.

Born in Auckland, Tony Yan Tong Chen has performed throughout New Zealand, North America and Europe. His debut album with the Rattle label received finalist selection for New Zealand’s Best Classical Album of the Year at the Aotearoa Music Awards in 2021. Winner of the Wallace New Zealand National Piano Competition in 2019, Tony has taken awards in numerous other international competitions. A graduate of the Eastman School of Music, he continues his studies at the Cleveland Institute where he is recipient of the Director’s Award for Piano.

The programme will offer a wide range of styles – opening with a touch of Baroque from Rameau before moving to Beethoven’s Opus 90 Sonata. This sonata, of only two movements, is noted for its concise form and emotional depth. Two Chopin works follow: a delightful Waltz paves the way for the Sonata No 2.

Tony in 2025 is focusing on Scriabin, so we can look forward to discovering more about this colourful Russian composer. A Waltz and a group of Etudes will be followed by the demanding, dramatic fifth Sonata. The concert closes with Ravel’s own piano transcription of his popular orchestral work La Valse.

The Ghost Trio return as part of a Chamber Music New Zealand tour. Their attractive programme opens with the work that inspired their trio’s name – Beethoven’s Opus 70, No 1, known as “The Ghost”.

It was Beethoven’s famous piano student Carl Czerny who wrote that the second movement reminded him of the ghost in Shakespeare’s Hamlet. That movement is characterised by eerie sustained notes and an ominous mood and the nickname has remained ever since.

The concert continues with the attractive music of Tōru Takemitsu who has been honoured as the most important composer in Japanese music history. A new piece by New Zealander Glen Downie will be premiered during the trio’s tour. Downie holds a Master of Musical Arts from New Zealand School of Music, has won numerous awards and is studying for a PhD in composition at Cambridge University.

The final work in the concert will be Shostakovich’s second trio, one of the composer’s most personal and forceful works. Written in 1944 it reflects the conflicts of the time, both personal and political, and is a work that, ranging from bleak beauty to compulsive
agitated rhythms, never fails to deeply touch its listeners.

 We welcome to our shores the Flinders Quartet, one of Australia’s most respected chamber ensembles.

It is special to be hosting an Australian ensemble, but even more special to find that they bring with them two of our most popular and beloved New Zealand musicians – pianist Michael Houstoun and violinist Wilma Smith. Wilma joined the quartet in 2020 and writes about this tour: “I’m thrilled that the Flinders Quartet’s first-ever concert tour to New Zealand will include a collaboration with my long-time friend and musical partner, Michael Houstoun. We’ll be bringing you a programme of beloved masterpieces and the NZ premiere of a work by eminent Aboriginal composer/singer, Deborah Cheetham Fraillon, especially written for Flinders Quartet.”

The programme begins with Beethoven’s Opus 95 String Quartet. Written before he embarked on his “late quartets”, it is commonly titled “Serioso” and is one of the most compact of Beethoven’s quartets.

The major work on the programme will be Dvořák’s popular Piano Quintet and who better to play the brilliant piano part than Michael Houstoun. This concert promises to be one of the season’s highlights.