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.
