Benjamin Northey – Chief Conductor
Heather Lewis – Cello
Dorothy Buchanan – Peace Fanfare
Tchaikovsky – Variations on a Rococo Theme Op. 33
Beethoven – Symphony No. 1 in C Major Op. 21
Dorothy Buchanan’s Peace Fanfare was commissioned as part of Auckland Philharmonia’s celebration of the new millennium – a moment many of us will remember – alongside ten other Aotearoa New Zealand composers.
Cellist Heather Lewis features as soloist for Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a Rococo Theme, a work that showcases Tchaikovsky’s love of the classicism of Mozart and Haydn. Audiences will be taken through a delightful set of variations on an elegant 18th century-inspired theme, which was originally written for Tchaikovsky’s colleague Wilhelm Fitzenhagen.
We round out this programme with a symphonic icon. With Beethoven’s first symphony we meet a composer showing respect for his teachers, Mozart and Haydn, while also daring to innovate. He features the woodwinds in a way that we don’t blink at today, but would have been quite audacious in 1800. This masterpiece is one of the first paving stones on a path that reinvented the symphony for future generations.
For accessible seating please contact CSO Box Office directly on 03 943 7791 or ticketing@cso.co.nz