Auckland Chamber Orchestra

The 2005 Season

1. Exotic Birds
Birdsong has inspired composers and performers since antiquity, not only with its beauty and freedom but also with its mystery and the secrets of its structure. This concert with music by Delius, Messiaen and Zagni is all inspired by birdsong. In Ivan Zagni’s work, the music’s structure mirrors the migration of the New Zealand long tailed cuckoo, the Koekoea.  

Delius, On hearing the first cuckoo in spring
Delius, Summer night on the river
Messiaen, Oiseaux Exotiques
Zagni, Clarinet Concerto “The Koekoea”  


Peter Scholes, clarinet and conductor
Marc Taddei, conductor
David Guerin, piano  

2. The Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross
Haydn composed nine poignant movements to reflect on and depict the seven last words of Christ on the Cross. It is intensely beautiful music. This concert presents Haydn’s original conception of this music as a purely orchestral work. The hypnotic piece for strings by John Adams entitled Shaker Loops opens the concert.  

Adams, Shaker Loops
Haydn, The Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross


Peter Scholes, conductor  

3. Schoenberg Quintet
“Composition with twelve notes has no goal other than comprehensibility” The quintet is Schoenberg’s first twelve note composition and is a masterwork combining the power of logical thought and classical structure to produce a challenging and expressive music.  

Ibert, Three Short Pieces
Reicha, Wind Quintet in E flat major, Op. 88, No.2
Schoenberg, Quintet for Winds, Op. 26  


Catherine Bowie, flute
Martin Lee, oboe
Peter Scholes, clarinet
Jane Kircher, bassoon
TBA, horn  

4. Shostakovich
“I want my listeners, as they leave the hall after hearing my symphony, to think that life is truly beautiful”.

Shostakovich, Symphony No. 14
Peter Scholes, conductor
Zan McKendree-Wright, mezzo-soprano
Daniel Keeling, bass

5. Gone to the Beach
New work, collaborations and improvisations with the Auckland Chamber Orchestra and guest composers and performers:

Don McGlashan
Ivan Zagni
Johnathan Besser
Peter Scholes  

6. The Music of Scandinavia
A concert of music from the Scandinavian countries. We play well known works such as Greig’s Holberg Suite and the Nielsen Flute Concerto and the New Zealand premiere of music by Söderlundh and Sallinen.

Greig, Holberg Suite
Söderlundh, Concertino for Oboe and Strings
Sallinen, Concerto for Chamber Orchestra
Nielsen, Flute Concerto  

Peter Scholes, conductor
Alexa Still, flute
Martin Lee, oboe