NZSO Alexander Gavrylyuk Plays Rachmaninov

Lera, Auerbach Icarus (New Zealand Premiere)
Rachmaninov, Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
Bartók, Concerto for Orchestra

Superstar conductor Vasily Petrenko leads us on an aural adventure of soaring heights and swooping emotions.

Petrenko’s “fire and precision […and] total rapport” (The Guardian) will surely ignite the pianistic flair of Ukrainian-born Australian Alexander Gavrylyuk. In Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Gavrylyuk will no doubt prove why The Erie Times News described him as “an orchestra unto himself, pouring out waves of huge, carillon-like sound […] sensational.”

This programme opens and closes with composers taking a brave leap. Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra flips the very idea of a concerto on its head. No soloist here; just the orchestra itself, given its chance to shine bright. And to kick things off: Icarus by Lera Auerbach, referencing the legendary Greek character. Auerbach says that Icarus “needs to fly as high as he can, beyond what is possible.” This concert will prove that such dizzying heights are, indeed, possible.