Autumn Reverie

NB THIS CONCERT WAS POSTPONED FROM 30 MAY DUE TO THE EXTREME WEATHER EVENT.

Autumn Reverie is a selection of music capturing the spirit of the season, with all the natural beauty of the rich russet colours. James Corigliano’s Reverie partly suggested the title of the concert as it is a bittersweet daydream that encapsulates the Autumnal mood. Keeping the seasonal analogy going, Grieg’s evergreen Holberg Suite is full of energy, pathos and drama and is always a favourite with audiences. Several works in the concert feature soloists from the ensemble, most notably Charles Avison’s Concerto in A, for which the soloists are Cherry McCallum, Claire Hobbs, Iain Ward, Margaret Hunt and Morag Macpherson. This is a lively example of late 18th Century English string writing, very much in the tradition of Boyce. Alan Rawsthorne is maybe not a name familiar to New Zealand audiences but his Light Music for Strings is a gem of the 20th Century English school, and draws on traditional Catalan tunes. Opening the concert is Patrick Shepherd’s Carpe Diem, which urges us to “seize the day” and was originally written for his doctoral graduation in 2008.