The New Zealand Herald Premier Series: Rediscovery

Conductor: Holly Mathieson
Piano: Somi Kim

Bologne: Symphony No.1
Gershwin: Piano Concerto in F
Farrenc: Symphony No.3

New Zealand conductor Holly Mathieson returns to the podium for the APO. Gershwin’s breezy concerto, performed by NZ Trio’s pianist Somi Kim, is sandwiched by two composers ripe for rediscovery.

The remarkable Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, was the son of a slave, Europe’s best fencer, legion commander in the French Revolution – and a conductor, virtuoso violinist, and for years one of the top musicians in Paris. This charming piece shows his value as a composer.

Louise Farrenc was Professor of Piano at the Paris Conservatoire, its only female professor in the nineteenth century. Schumann and Berlioz praised her music, and her last symphony is increasingly seen as a substantial part of the French symphonic lineage.