NZSO, New Zealand international arts festival in harmony again

GILBERT WONG tells how "peace has broken out" as Austrians cancel their visit to New Zealand.

The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra will now take a major role in next year's New Zealand international arts festival - but both parties deny the cancellation of a tour by the Vienna Symphony Orchestra is the reason.

After what have reportedly been fraught negotiations, NZSO chief executive Ian Fraser said: "Peace has broken out. We are satisfied with what is being proposed for the festival."

In April, Fraser accused the New Zealand Festival 2002 of sidelining the national orchestra when festival director Carla van Zon announced that the Vienna Symphony Orchestra would be a major guest.

Now van Zon said the tour had been cancelled because of a grant cut by the Austrian Government.

A lot of people were disappointed, she said, but the task of assembling the nation's pre-eminent cultural event was always challenging, stressful and subject to occasional frustrations.

Fraser said the cancellation had nothing to do with the increased involvement of the NZSO.

"There did appear at one stage that there was a policy that the NZSO would be underused at its own festival. But that's been settled."

Fraser said he was sad that the Vienna orchestra was not coming.

In April he said he did not oppose the visit, but was concerned at the "over-hyping."

"There is a world-famous orchestra in Vienna, the Vienna Philharmonic, and I wish they were coming out."

The NZSO will accompany the five performances of the Richard Strauss opera Der Rosenkavalier, and perform at two other events, including the final concert of the festival. Details of repertoire, conductors and soloists were still under discussion with festival organisers.