2021 DRAMATIC SKIES 3: CIRRUS

PROGRAMME NOTES:

Download full Cirrus progamme notes

LISTENING NOTES:

Schubert: : Sonatensatz, D. 28

~ expressive pencil marks on crisp white paper ~

Clement: Shifting States 

~ crystal wind chimes tumbling in the breeze ~

Panufnik: Piano Trio Op. 1

~ eavesdropping on a lovers’ tiff ~

Whitehead: Ka maranga ngā kapua

~ skittering, looming, tumbling ~

Rachmaninov: Trio élégiaque No.2 in D minor

~ the briefest glimmer of hope is enough ~

2021 DRAMATIC SKIES 2: CUMULUS

Download full Cumulus programme notes

LISTENING NOTES:

Grieg: Andante con moto in C minor

~ the sweet foreboding of newfound love ~

McLeod: Clouds

~ here there high bright low ~

Schifrin: Hommage á Ravel

~ shadows dance on a moonlit grave ~

Taylor: burlesques mécaniques

~ something’s off with the wiring! ~

Smetana: Piano Trio in G minor, Op. 15

~ wistful portraits of what could have been ~

2021 DRAMATIC SKIES 1: STRATUS

PROGRAMME NOTES:

Download Stratus programme notes here

LISTENING NOTES:

Rachmaninoff: Trio élégiaque No. 1 in G minor
~ lapping waves, a rising breeze, harbinger of a tempest brewing ~

Haydn: Piano Trio in G Major, Hob XV:25
~ fleeting daydreams of wanderlust ~

Suk: Elegie in D flat Major, Op. 23
~ here is my heart, do with it what you will ~

de Lautour: An Auscultation of Water (new commission)
~ watery silhouettes barely perceptible through the mist ~

Cowan: Ultra Violet
~ vista through others’ eyes ~

Chausson: Trio in G minor, Op. 3
~ a journey of extremity, from innermost to outermost ~

2020 NZTRIO SERIES: CONSTELLATIONS

PROGRAMME NOTES:

Download Constellations Programme notes here

LISTENING NOTES:

Beethoven: Piano Trio Op. 1 No. 1

~ from flint-strike to inferno ~

Saariaho: Light and Matter

~ sliding focus on shifting landscapes ~

Margetić: Lightbox

~ buffoonery masks the burdened soul ~

Korngold: Piano Trio

~ anchored safely on undulous seas ~

2020 NZTRIO SERIES: INTERFUSIONS

PROGRAMME NOTES:

Download InterFusions  Programme notes

LISTENING NOTES:

Beethoven: Piano Trio No. 3

~ furtive flashes, nervous undercurrents, cheeky surprises ~

Hatzis: Old Photographs

~ reminiscence warped through the lens of time ~

Fisher: Kintsugi (new commission)

~ fractured synergy ~

Wijeratne: Love Triangle

~ burnt sands, foreboding skies ~

Ravel: Piano Trio in A minor

~ the weight of light ~

2019 NZTRIO SERIES: TECTONIC UPRISING

LISTENING NOTES:

Frank Bridge (UK) Hornpipe:

~ naval gazing ~

Edward Elgar (UK) Lento assai – Allegro moderato:

~ a quiet love no more ~

Samuel Holloway (NZ) Stapes:

~ the bridge between sound and silence ~

Frank Bridge (UK) Valse Russe:

~ forevermore I dance alone ~

Charlotte Bray (UK) That Crazed Smile:

~ spell-bound fairies in the moonlight ~

Charles Ives (US) Trio:

~ insensible chaos; a battle of the marching bands ~

Dmitri Shostakovich (USSR) Piano Trio No.2 in e minor:

~ menacing sarcasm ~

2019 NZTRIO SERIES: TECTONIC IMPACT

LISTENING NOTES:

Frank Bridge (UK) Saltarello/Intermezzo

~parlour room antics: furtive glances and melodic giggles~

Martin Lodge (NZ) Ngã Whetu Hou

~ curiosity, caution, courage ~

Ross Harris (NZ) Senryu

~ the first raindrops anticipate a flurry ~

Rebecca Clarke (UK) Piano Trio

~ gauzy mysteries richly veiled in a delicate darkness ~

Alfred Schnittke (USSR) Trio

~ a light smile contorted by deep tragedy ~

Daniel Schnyder (USA) Piano Trio

~ alter egos meet in a Klezmer/Hymn/Arab/Jazz/Funk mosh pit ~

2019 NZTRIO SERIES: TECTONIC SHIFT

LISTENING NOTES:

Frank Bridge (UK) Allegretto and Gavotte

~ utter gladness ~

Gillian Whitehead (NZ) Te waka o te rangi

~ smoke and water at the turn of day ~

Michael Norris (NZ) dirty pixels

~ moving images, charged particles ~

James MacMillan (UK) Piano Trio No.2

~ keeping stride, obeying rules, pausing to reflect, turning tides! ~

Jennifer Higdon (USA) Pale Yellow and Fiery Red

~ lost in a wonderful daydream, then reality sets in ~

Anton Arensky (Russia) Piano Trio No.1 in d minor

~ polite tradition gives way to a deeply personal, undeniable truth ~

2018 LOFT SERIES 1: WEAVE

LISTENING NOTES:

Philip Glass (USA): Head On
~ chaos brought to order ~

Felix Mendelssohn (GER): Trio No.1 in D minor
~ sighs and exclamations within balanced architecture ~

Stuart Greenbaum (AUS): Year Without a Summer
~ impending doom, unwavering hope ~

Dorothy Buchanan (NZ): Trio Sound
~ an animated kaleidoscope of spirit, symmetry, and reflections ~

Robert Schumann (GER): Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor
~ sweet serenity barely masks deep turmoil ~

2018 LOFT SERIES 2: BRAID

LISTENING NOTES:

Rachel Clement (NZ): Shifting States – Sabbia (Sand)

 ~ fragile anticipation, like the edge of a shard ~

Fanny Mendelssohn (GER): Piano Trio in D Minor

~ deep knowing, unexpected circumstances ~

Elena Kats-Chernin (AUS): Spirit and the Maiden

~ leaning into the rain ~

Victoria Kelly (NZ): Sono

 ~ graceful power, careful love ~

Clara Schumann (GER): Piano Trio in G Minor

~ lucid layers. clarity. space. ~ 

2018 LOFT SERIES 3: TWINE

LISTENING NOTES:

Philip Glass (USA): Mishima
~ a gentle massage, disarmingly attentive in its touchpoints ~

Robert Schumann (GER): Piano Trio No.2 in F Major
~ a much needed conversation – exploring, resolving … ~

Matthew Hindson (AUS): Rush
~ galloping off the beaten track ~

Celeste Oram (NZ): the naming of waters (new commission)
~ a hidden watermark, voices in the wind ~

Johannes Brahms (GER): Piano Trio No.1 in B Major
~ shades of silence, reassuring convictions ~

2017 LOFT SERIES 1: SWOOP

LISTENING NOTES:

Frank Bridge: Phantasie in c minor
Sweeping nostalgia, fond memories, dark regrets.

 
Shen Nalin: Meng Yuan for Piano Trio
Reflections cloaked in mist, bursting into exultant cacophony.

Chris Gendall: Dulcet Tones
Flickering moonlight caught in a tangled cobweb.

Schubert:  Piano Trio in B Flat, Op 99 (D898)
Delicate curtsies, pretty petals, short fuses.

2017 LOFT SERIES 2: SPIRAL

LISTENING NOTES:

Arnold Bax: Trio in B flat Major
Waxed moustaches, crisp lapels, hints of sarcasm – a story begins.

Jenny McLeod: Seascapes
Above and below a watery surface.

Samuel Holloway: Corpse and Mirror (New Commission)
Kaleidoscopic transactions in an ambient temperature.

Beethoven: Piano Trio in E flat Major, Op. 70 No. 2
Teetering precipices, pounded keys, anguished forgiveness.

2017 LOFT SERIES 3: SOAR

LISTENING NOTES:

John Ireland: Phantasie Trio in A minor
Considered chronicles of lighthearted musings.

Anthony Ritchie: Childhood
Aria of a blossom: profound simplicity, softly bursting.

Dorothy Ker: Onaia
Hairy metal, wooden glass, rubber echoes.

Schubert: Piano Trio in E Flat
Persistently grasping at elusive memories.

2016 LOFT SERIES 1: ZOOM

LISTENING NOTES:

John Musto : Piano Trio

Pulse runs away beneath a calm surface, like duck feet under water.

Chris Watson : Schemata; three views of an imaginary object

Outbursts, exclamations, conversations, reflections…all fun and games.

Elliott Carter : Epigrams

Objects in the mirror are sharper than they appear…

Anton Zemlinsky : Piano Trio in d minor, Opus 3

Rose coloured glasses.

2015 LOFT SERIES 3: BLAST

LISTENING NOTES:

Fauré: Piano Trio in d minor, Opus 120

Talking to oneself, but can’t get a word in.

Young: Piano Trio (new commission)

Boisterous tumbling in thunderous storms, propelled beyond
into boundless calm.

Beethoven: Symphony No.2 (for piano trio), Opus 36

Complex simplicity.

2015 LOFT SERIES 2: SURGE

LISTENING NOTES:

Chopin: Piano Trio in g minor, Opus 8

Liquid mercury in a delicate tea cup; heavy, silvery, fluid, elegantly resolved.  

David Hamilton: The Faraday Cage

Glass toys in a dark room, revealed by stabbing shards of light.  

Saint-Saëns: Piano Trio No.2, Opus 92

Dusky watercolours washed away by a cascade of bittersweet tears.  

2015 LOFT SERIES 1: FRAGMENT

LISTENING NOTES:

Chausson: Piano Trio in g minor, Opus 3

Hillsides of sunflowers, a heady mix of coffee, cigarettes and perfume.  

Cree Brown: Gallipoli Fragments for Piano Trio

Choking dust and stench of bloody gore – the rawness of reality sucks the air from our very lungs. Bear witness!  

Rachmaninov: Trio Elegiaque No. 1 in g minor

Frightened heartbeats wrapped in warmth of the finest weave.     

2014 LOFT SERIES 1: SVELTO

LISTENING NOTES:

Beethoven: Piano Trio Opus 1, No. 3 in c minor

Mysterious and pleading with moments of gentle optimistic tenderness, performed with animated gesture like the tragic life story of a soundless mime.  

Matthius Pintscher: Svelto

The air is heavy and still. Dim hues trick the eye. Way up above, a furious, fickle wind catches only the highest leaves. The flutter, almost inaudible.

Stephen Matthews: Dance of the Fallen

A frenzied swarm of starlings stretching and dropping over an undecided sea.

Antonin Dvorak: Piano trio in f minor, Opus 65

Emotional turmoil – from the most hushed and transparent to explosions of passion and exuberant energy, like blood in the muscles of a graceful dancer.

2014 LOFT SERIES 2: RITUAL TRIPTYCH

LISTENING NOTES:

Beethoven: Piano Trio Opus 1, No.2 in G Major

Still ponds and waterfalls, puddles and oceans, in cups and in fountains.

John Elmsly: Ritual Triptych

Shocking iridescence and shimmering brilliance – cool suspended simplicity. A thrillingly unstable game.

Salvatore Sciarrino: Piano trio No. 2

Ancient whale song narrates a dazzling dance of cascading crystal meteors.

Mendelssohn: Piano trio in c minor, Opus 66

Winter draws to a close, the air heavy and grey.  Fires flicker, frozen waters finally burst free as the sun reigns over all.  

2014 LOFT SERIES 3: TRANSFIGURED NIGHT

LISTENING NOTES:

Beethoven: Piano trio in E flat Major, Opus 1

Filigree lace spins and floats on polished marble, covert smiles shared in secret knowledge.  

John Zorn: Amour Fou

Quickening heart beats, lost breath, off-kilter axis as the world tilts. . .   

Leonie Holmes: . . .when expectation ends

The warming of cool memories, moments overtaken by scampering unstable visions. Restless excitement explodes . . . thoughtfulness remains.  

Arnold Schoenberg: Verklärte Nacht (Transfigured Night)

Raw confessions, quivering heart soothed with tears, dawn’s light is a feathered balm.