Become Ocean

Don’t miss John Luther Adams’ evocative, award-winning epic Become Ocean with conductor André de Ridder and the NZSO.

As a former student of legendary conductor Colin Davis, André de Ridder has spread his wings wide to encompass the whole spectrum of music.

De Ridder brings his "energy, taste, and a discriminating ear for balance and timbre" (The Telegraph) to everything from operatic staples like Bluebeard's Castle or collaborative works with Damon Albarn from Gorillaz.

Opening with the NZSO percussion section performing Toru Takemitsu’s Rain Tree, De Ridder and the NZSO then take the stage to perform the Pulitzer-Prize-winning epic, Become Ocean, by John Luther Adams.

Inspired by the oceans of Alaska and the Pacific Northwest, Luther Adams says of his undulating masterpiece: "as the polar ice melts and sea level rises, we humans find ourselves facing the prospect that once again we may quite literally become ocean."