To close the season we have an entertaining concert from three pianists who have mastered the unusual art of performing with six hands on one piano. There are not a lot of original works written for this combination (most are arrangements) but we will be treated in this concert to some original compositions by Fodor, Rachmaninoff and Czerny.

Opening with a classical sonata by Dutch composer Carel Fodor, the concert will continue with two pieces by Rachmaninoff, a Spanish dance by Manuel de Falla and a Fantasia on Irish Airs by Carl Czerny. The concert will then move to transcriptions of opera music and overtures by Bizet, Rossini and Mozart.

Brazilian Camila Oliveira and Italian Flavia Villani gained their undergraduate degrees in their home countries. Both found their way to New Zealand where they each earned Master’s degrees at the University of Auckland and are now completing doctoral studies, Camila in Auckland and Flavio at the University of Waikato. Matteo Napoli, educated in Italy, has lived in New Zealand since 2008 and is director of music academies in New Zealand and in Italy.

Two of New Zealand’s most distinguished musicians join forces to serenade us with a cello and piano recital, in a much-requested return visit following the success of their 2024 concert. Both are very well-known to us from their frequent appearances with Amici Ensemble.

Their programme, spanning nearly 170 years, begins with a sonata by the Italian virtuoso cellist/composer Luigi Boccherini. It is followed by Manuel de Falla’s Suite of Spanish Dances. Written in 1914 this suite reflects Falla’s deep interest in the music of his native Andalusia, an influence that can be strongly felt in many of his works.

Rachmaninoff’s Vocalise, written in 1912 for violin and piano, is a work that has been transcribed and arranged for a multitude of different instruments and it is always sure to be popular. It leads us into 20th Century Russia and the music of Sergei Prokofiev. The
Sonata in C Major has three movements: the first filled with voluptuous melody, followed by an energetic second movement and a sublimely expressive finale that harks back to his Russian heritage.

Our good friends the Aroha String Quartet return after their brilliant 2025 performance of Schubert’s Octet. Their programme, as ever, is a delight, opening with Haydn’s wonderfully lyrical Eb Major quartet, particularly acclaimed for its brilliant last movement.

American composer Samuel Barber is renowned for his famous Adagio for Strings. The Adagio is actually the second movement of his Opus 11 String Quartet, written in 1936. Barber wrote the arrangement of the Adagio for string orchestra in the same year and much later used the same music again in a choral setting for his Agnus Dei. In Opus 11, the famous Adagio is surrounded by two very lively movements.

After the interval, New Zealander Ross Carey’s Toccatina paves the way for one of Beethoven’s most popular quartets, known as “The Harp” for its striking pizzicato section in the first movement. The slow movement, a beautiful Adagio, is followed by a vigorous Scherzo. Unusually for Beethoven, the last movement is a theme and variations, some lively, some gentle and lyrical, before the coda gathers the pace to a brilliant conclusion.

The Elouan Quartet is a newly formed string quartet comprised of NZSO players. The quartet’s first tour was in 2024, representing the NZSO across New Zealand in the orchestra’s annual “Setting Up Camp” tour.

“Folk Tales and Folk Tunes”
This programme explores the rich storytelling traditions and folk influences woven into classical and contemporary music. The programme brings together a diverse range of composers, each drawing on folk elements to create deeply expressive works. Elena Kats-Chernin’s Night and Now reflects her Russian childhood and demonstrates her signature blend of lyrical beauty and rhythmic drive. This is followed by Mozart’s Flute Quartet, an elegant work that demonstrates the composer’s fascination with folk melodies and dance forms.

After the interval, the concert shifts to a New Zealand perspective with a work by Ken Wilson, a composer and clarinettist who was a founding member of the New Zealand National Orchestra. A string quartet by Beethoven will follow before the concert closes with Piazzolla’s Histoire du Tango. This work traces the evolution of Argentine tango from its roots to a sophisticated concert form.

We welcome back, by popular demand, Auckland couple James Jin and Xing Wang. When our concert in February 2025 was cancelled they came to our rescue with only five days’ notice and totally delighted their audience with a recital of violin sonatas by Mozart and Beethoven, along with some charming Chinese folk-songs and some popular encore favourites.
James and Xing are both busy at Auckland University School of Music, James as Teaching Fellow and Xing as Collaborate Pianist. James is involved with several orchestras throughout the country, including as Associate Principle Second Violin with Auckland Philharmonia. Xing is in demand as a pianist both in New Zealand and overseas and is also a passionate chamber musician.
Now they return with more Mozart and Beethoven and, as requested, some more Chinese folk-song arrangements. Then they will play a much larger work – Grieg’s third Violin Sonata. Edvard Grieg’s music is dramatic, rich and inventive with rhythmic and melodic structures that draw on elements of Norwegian folklore. Its bold dissonances and picturesque timbre effects capture the atmosphere and colour of Norway.