Piers Lane & the NZSQ presented by CMNZ

Internationally acclaimed Australian pianist Piers Lane joins forces with the New Zealand String Quartet for this special two concert event in Wellington and Nelson.

Having last performed together in 2018, the ensemble reunites to perform César Franck’s mammoth Piano Quintet in F minor.
An example of musical romanticism at its finest, the Piano Quintet was premiered in 1880, while Franck was at the height of his career both as a composer and a professor at the Paris Conservatoire. However, the highly emotional work was not an instant hit with the original pianist (and renowned composer in his own right) Camille Saint-Saëns, who abruptly exited the stage after the premier, leaving the music open, a gesture seen as one of great disrespect at the time. Luckily, audiences have come to realise what a huge milestone the work is with its expressive melodies and rich textures which have been credited with changing the landscape of French chamber music.