Join the NZSO on a cheerful and toe-tapping musical journey to Italy

NZSO music director emeritus James Judd will conduct a breathtaking collection of music. Photo / Supplied

The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra takes audiences on a cheerful and toe-tapping journey to Italy from the stage at Toitoi Hawke’s Bay Arts & Events in Hastings on June 7, from 7.30pm.

NZSO music director emeritus James Judd conducts a breathtaking collection of music in Stravinsky & Mendelssohn Portraits of Italy as part of the orchestra’s popular Setting Up Camp winter tour.

The concert begins in the deep south with Anthony Ritchie’s Whakatipua, a musical portrait of the awe-inspiring landscapes around Lake Wakatipu, Queenstown.

Igor Stravinsky’s Pulcinella Suite brings to life the famed (and often naughty) puppet Punch, a comical character of early Italian theatre. Based on Stravinsky’s 1920 ballet of the same name, the Pulcinella Suite is a feast of catchy neo-Baroque dance tunes.

German composer Felix Mendelssohn was inspired by his travels across Italy in 1830 when he wrote the concert’s grand finale Italian Symphony. Mendelssohn himself declared the symphony as “the jolliest piece I have ever done.”

Maestro Judd is no stranger to NZSO concerts with an Italian theme. As part of Setting Up Camp, the orchestra stays in each centre for up to three days to present concerts and community events for the whole whānau.

Along with Portraits of Italy, the 2023 tour includes Side-by-Side concerts, where community orchestras perform on stage with the NZSO.

This year Hawke’s Bay Community Orchestra, Hawke’s Bay Training Orchestra and Hawke’s Bay Youth Orchestra will each have a memorable session with the NZSO.

Tickets are available via Eventfinda.