Conductor Gemma New. Photo: NZSO
WIREMU, Robert: Tahuri koe ki te maunga teitei
MAHLER: Symphony No 3 in D minor
Performed by Sasha Cooke (mezzo-soprano), Voices New Zealand, Wellington Young Voices, Choristers of Wellington Cathedral of St Paul, and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra conducted by Gemma New, live at the Michael Fowler Centre, Wellington.
This performance will be broadcast Live-to-Air on RNZ Concert from 6:30pm Friday 31 March 2023.
Listen Live Online by clicking here, or tune in to RNZ Concert on FM radio, from 6:30pm
NZSO programme notes: The concert opens with the world premiere of New Zealand composer Robert Wīremu’s Tahuri koe ki te maunga teitei, a waiata written especially to be paired with tonight’s performance of Mahler’s Third Symphony, composer Robert Wīremu’s waiata makes clear connections to the taiao (natural world) and has thematic whakapapa (relationship) to the symphony.
Mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke. Photo: Stephanie Girard
Mahler’s Third Symphony is a colossal monument in the orchestral repertoire, requiring a giant orchestra, a women’s choir, a children’s choir and a mezzo-soprano soloist. In this work, Mahler interrogates and portrays gorgeous life itself – summer, nature, humanity, heaven and love.
Renowned mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke returns to our shores to perform in this masterful work. Described as being “equal parts poise, radiance, and elegant directness” (Opera News), she gained particular acclaim for originating the female lead in John Adams’ opera Doctor Atomic.
Comfortable singing everything from Mozart to Missy Mazzoli, she has made a specialty of gilding Mahlerian repertoire with her “bewitchingly lustrous” sound (New Zealand Herald).
Gustav Mahler (1860-1911): Symphony No. 3 in D Minor
I. Pan Awakes, Summer Marches In
II. What the Flowers in the Meadow Tell Me
III. What the Animals in the Forest Tell Me
IV. What Man Tells Me
V. What the Angels Tell Me
VI. What Love Tells Me
Mahler gave each of his Third Symphony’s movements a descriptive name, which together outline a conceptual framework for the symphony. These titles show how widely Mahler had tossed his creative net. Symphony No. 3 was about not just the flora and fauna of nature but also about the human, spiritual and emotional spheres. Symphony No. 3 ultimately proved to be Mahler’s longest symphonic work, clearly telling a massive narrative within the framework delineated by those descriptive movement titles. - NZSO
