Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

New Zealand Music Month

Recorded at the Auckland Town Hall on 26 May, 2011

Lyell Cresswell (1944 –)

Piano Concerto (World Premiere)

Based in Edinburgh, Cresswell still sees himself as a New Zealand composer and has been recognised by both countries. He has won the APRA Silver Scroll for his contribution to New Zealand music, and in 2001 won the prestigious Scottish Arts Council ‘Creative Scotland Award’. In 2002 he was awarded an honorary D.Mus from Victoria University.

For a complete biography, click here:

Composer’s Note: This piano concerto is written in memory of a close friend, the composer Edward Harper, who died on Easter Sunday 2009.

The Concerto is in seven movements, which are played without a break:

1. Funeral March
2. Adagio 1
3. Scherzo 1
4. Addolorato
5. Scherzo 2
6. Adagio 2
7. Presto

Movements 3, 4, 5 and 6 were written before Edward died, but he was already ill with cancer and the whole concerto was written under the shadow of this.

The first movement, Funeral March, opens with a sequence of low six-note chords in the piano. These chords provide the basis for the complete concerto and are treated in various contrasting ways in each movement. The orchestra becomes an extension of the piano, sustaining these chords and taking them where the piano can't go. A slow throbbing, but varying, pulse runs through the Funeral March - first in the harp, sometimes the timpani, sometimes pizzicato and, at the climax, with brass and woodwind. In the following tranquil Adagio the six-note chords are turned into serene melodic lines with quiet sustained chords in the strings. The first scherzo is short, fast and restless. The central movement, Addolorato (distressed, grieved, upset), is, in turn, slow and reflective (in the piano), and querulous and disturbing (in the orchestra). The second scherzo is fast, light and fleeting - with a hushed centre. The second Adagio is composed of slow, unsettled and quiet chords leading to an angry outburst at the climax, and the pace in the final presto is only interrupted briefly with some reference to Adagio 1. The ending is somewhat abrupt, posing a question rather than offering a solution.

The composer gratefully acknowledges the generosity of Jack Richards in commissioning this concerto for Stephen De Pledge.
 

Stephen De Pledge (pno)

New Zealand pianist Stephen De Pledge is one of the most exciting and versatile musicians of his generation. He studied at the University of Auckland, and then with Joan Havill at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. His career was launched after winning the Gold Medal from the Guildhall, and the NFMS Young Concert Artists’ Award, and he has since maintained a diverse and wide-ranging performing schedule, as soloist, chamber musician and song accompanist.

For a complete biography, click here:

 

Hamish McKeich (cond)

An immensely versatile conductor, Hamish McKeich has forged an impressive international conducting career alongside a passionate loyalty for developing the repertoire of contemporary and experimental music. He has established an acclaimed partnership with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and served as the Orchestra's Associate Conductor from 2002-2006. He performs continually with them to this day. He has performed in New Zealand, Australia, China, the Netherlands, Italy, England, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Armenia and Lebanon. Working regularly in Europe, Australia and with New Zealand's major orchestras, he has given over 90 world premieres of new works and is also chief conductor of the contemporary ensembles Stroma and 175East.

For a complete biography, click here:

The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra

The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra is this country’s only professional full-size orchestra. One of the world’s oldest national symphony orchestras, they’ve been delighting audiences with memorable concerts and recordings since 1946.

They’re continually on the road, touring as many as 100 symphonic concerts as well as dozens of dedicated concerts for children and small communities each year. While they present all their main programmes in Auckland and Wellington, they tour New Zealand extensively.

They perform in concert halls, schools, marae, hospitals, parks, rest homes and even on railway platforms. You’ll hear them on radio, television, in movies and on CD. You can download their music and keep up with them on Facebook and Twitter. Their extensive Community and Education programmes take their music to children and young people up and down New Zealand, giving them a chance to get up close and personal with the players and inspire them towards a life-long love of music.

For a complete biography, click here.

This recording is generously donated for podcast by the artists.