Nau mai haere mai and welcome to our 2025 concert series!
In 2025 we are shining a light on three epic French composers who each have a distinct sound, but also embody the music of the 19th and early 20th century that was coming out of France.
In typical NZTrio style, you’ll hear these alongside music you’ve probably never heard before, but may fall in love with. We’re premiering two new works by composers from Aotearoa, from John Psathas who is such big presence in New Zealand’s composing scene, and LA based composer Linda Dallimore, then finally revisiting a piece by Lyell Cresswell who contributed so much to contemporary music in Aotearoa.
Prepare to be enchanted by works from the unearthly to the ebullient, thoughtful to sparkling in Magnifique. Schubert’s ethereal Notturno in E-flat major spins us in glistening threads of sound, and the introspective landscapes of Vasks‘ Episodi e canto perpetuo traverse hectic energy and bell-like chorales. Be among the first to experience a captivating new work by NZ composer Linda Dallimore, who often draws inspiration from the environment and social issues. Saint-Saëns‘ Piano Trio No. 2 in E minor brings the concert to a magnificent finale of French elegance, with splashes of playful exuberance.
THE PROGRAMME
Franz Schubert | Notturno in E-flat major D.897
Peteris Vasks | Episodi e canto perpetuo
Linda Dallimore (NZ) | new work
Camille Saint-Saëns | Piano Trio No. 2 in E minor
This programme will be performed with guest cellist, Matthias Balzat.
DATES AND VENUES
A lavish tapestry of styles and emotions is explored in Fantastique, a programme of contrasts. Turina’s Circulo depicts a single day through dawn, midday and dusk, while brooding disquiet meets stark intensity in Shostakovich’s Piano Trio No.1 in C minor. Chen Yi’s Tibetan Tunes creates a fusion of traditional Tibetan melodies referencing Buddhist god Du Mu, before the premiere of Angelus, a new commission by one of Aotearoa’s most acclaimed composers, John Psathas. Finally, Franck’s youthful Piano Trio No. 1 in F sharp minor is as charming and intimate as it is powerful and explosive.
THE PROGRAMME
Lyell Cresswell (NZ) | Moto perpetuo
Pascal Le Boeuf | Obliquely Wrecked
Gabriel Fauré | Piano Trio in D minor, Op. 120
Elena Kats-Chernin | Calliope Dreaming
Arnold Schönberg | Verklärte Nacht arr. for piano trio
This programme will be performed with guest cellist Callum Hall
DATES AND VENUES
31 Aug – Greytown Music Society
tickets via efjacooke@gmail.co.nz
10 Sep – Yarragon Studio, Melbourne
ON SALE SOON
11 Sep – Tempo Rubato, Melbourne
ON SALE SOON
12 Sep – “NZTrio X Collectivo”
The Studio, ACO On The Pier, Sydney
ON SALE SOON
13 Sep – “NZTrio X Collectivo”
Thomas Dixon Centre, Brisbane
ON SALE SOON
Hypnotique presents a diverse array of works that challenges expectations of traditional chamber music. A whirlwind of motion typifies NZ composer Lyell Cresswell’s virtuosic Moto Perpetuo, ahead of the percussive and electronic influences in Le Boeuf’s jazz-adjacent Obliquely Wrecked. Fauré’s Piano Trio in D minor exhibits lyrical elegance, with transportative, lush harmonic textures, and Australian composer Elena Kats-Chernin pays homage to Haydn, blending classical and contemporary styles in Calliope Dreaming. Then finally, the full Romantic immersion of Schönberg’s Verklärte Nacht is structured around the five stanzas of a poem; deeply transcendent and utterly beautiful.
THE PROGRAMME
Lyell Cresswell (NZ) | Moto perpetuo
Pascal Le Boeuf | Obliquely Wrecked
Gabriel Fauré | Piano Trio in D minor, Op. 120
Elena Kats-Chernin | Calliope Dreaming
Arnold Schönberg | Verklärte Nacht arr. for piano trio
DATES AND VENUES
SUBSCRIPTIONS AND SINGLE TICKETS
If you’re booking for the Auckland Town Hall Concert Chamber, you’ll be able book for all three concerts and receive a 10% saving on individual ticket prices. Single tickets for the Auckland Town Hall Concert Chamber will be on sale from 3 March.
Wellingtonians – make sure you book your tickets before 1 April to receive an early bird discount on adult and student tickets.
Most other single tickets are on sale now. Follow the links for individual concerts in the DATES AND VENUES sections or visit our upcoming concerts page to see all our concerts for 2025.
Visit our events page to see when we’ll be near you.
NZTrio is recognised as a ‘national treasure’ and ‘New Zealand’s most indispensable ensemble’ (NZ Herald).
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MERGE
Featuring superb compositions by Christos Hatzis, Salina Fisher, Josef Suk and Erich Korngold, Merge is an amalgamation of NZTrio’s individual musical personalities both on and off the stage, expressed through our shared love of chamber music. “We feel very lucky to be sharing our joyful, creative and collaborative experience of recording this album with you during this particularly bewildering time. As we all navigate this ever-changing world, constantly looking to the future and the past, we hope this music gives you a chance to appreciate some beauty in the present moment.”
© Copyright 2025 NZTrio
