From the tranquil beauty of flute and taonga puoro to the exuberance of Beethoven’s Ode to Joy, the Dunedin Arts Festival has been a joyous ride for arts fans.
Just one more weekend remains in the three-week festival, which has showcased some of the best music, theatre, dance and visual arts New Zealand has to offer.
The city has been buzzing with excited punters, and audience numbers have been strong, adding to the feeling of celebration.
The Star has been out and about, sampling a broad range of superb festival fare.
In addition, the city’s galleries have featured works by visual artists such as Jo Ogier, Robert MacDonald, Tessa Barringer, Alexandra Kennedy and more.
"St Paul’s at One"
I was able to attend two performances, the beautiful, ethereal performance of New Zealand works by flautist Bridget Douglas and taonga puoro specialist Alistair Fraser; and the contrasting New Zealand String Quartet’s presentation of two Beethoven quartets.
Both concerts were superbly performed and very engaging, with large appreciative audiences.
"The F-Word"
Fabulous performer Tami Neilson, backed by the Mitchell sisters and her band, were the perfect vessel to bring to life the many wonderful songs of the country music tradition featured in "The F-Word".
This show was informative and rollicking good fun.
Beethoven’s Big Bash
Colourful staging and enthusiastic performances from the Dunedin Symphony Orchestra, City Choir Dunedin, and guests in this epic, joyful celebration of Beethoven.
Under the baton of Peter Adams, the Ode to Joy was performed twice, with and without singers, and soloists Lucy Costelloe (violin), and pianists Abhinath Berry, Moriah Osborne, and Sungmin Yoo made the most of their chances to shine.
Cello Favourites and Nocturnes
Monday night was busy, with "Cello Favourites" by Heleen Du Plessis and Tom McGrath (piano) in the Olveston at 6 programme, followed by "Nocturnes" with Jian Liu at the Glenroy.
Du Plessis and McGrath gave a superb performance of complex, virtuosic works by Beethoven, Schramm, Martini, and Bruch, enthralling a capacity audience.
Jian Liu was technically flawless, playing 16 nocturnes in carefully curated pairs with a lovely, light touch.
My favourites were the Whitehead, Chopin, Poulenc, Bartok, and Liszt.
