N.Z.B.C.: Mahler and others

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33155, 20 February 1973, Page 10

N.Z.B.C.: Mahler and others

The first New Zealand performance of Mahler’s great Symphony No. 8, the “Symphony of a Thousand,” will be a special feaI ture of the N.Z.B.C. Sym-

‘ phony Orchestra’s contribution to the Christchurch Festival. Juan Matteucci will conduct an augmented orchestra, together with combined Christchurch choirs and seven leading vocal soloists, in this gala premiere at the Town Hall on Saturday, March 17. The choral forces involved for this massive symphony will include the Villa Maria Schola Cantorum, the Royal Christchurch Musical Society, and the Christchurch Harmonic Society. Among the vocal soloists will be David Parker, the Welsh tenor now I living in Australia, who sang Faust with the or-

chestra last season. The N.Z.B.C. Symphony Orchestra will present two

other concerts under Juan Matteucci in the festival. In the March 15 evening concert the soloist will be the visiting celebrity pianist, Michael Ponti, who will

play the Rachmaninov Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, in a programme that will also include the Sibelius First Symphony. The other N.Z.B.C. festival concert will be a lunch-time programme at the Town Hall on March 16. Appropriately entitled “Symphonic Encore,” the concert will include the best - known movements from such favourite symphonies as the Beethoven No. 5, and Tchaikovsky No. 5, Dvorak’s New World, and the Mozart Symphony No. 39. The soloist again will be Michael Ponti. His contribution will be a performance of the Liszt, “Dance of Death.”