To Rome then round world for the Auckland Philharmonia

It's as much a voyage of discovery for the players as the audience in the Auckland Philharmonia line-up. HEATH LEES reports.

New Zealand's largest concert series will be launched on Thursday when the Auckland Philharmonia's 75 musicians throttle up on the Town Hall stage, preparing to take off with Berlioz and the sizzling Roman Carnival Overture.

Ahead is a journey that includes 15 concerts over seven months, and measures out a horizon of 51 pieces of music from every corner of the world.

As well as the musical trip to Rome with Berlioz, there's a lot of Russian soul-searching in all six of Tchaikovsky's symphonies, some new American music, a trombone concerto (from Denmark of all places), a suite from Argentina, and a jaunt to England for Elgar's famous cello concerto.

Other familiar landmarks appear, too, like Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, Egmont Overture and Violin Concerto, featuring violinist Joseph Lin, the winner of the Michael Hill World Violin competition.

Mozart appears twice, and there's a mid-year concert featuring Wagner and Brahms.

Nowadays, no big orchestra will miss Mahler from its itinerary, and his mighty Resurrection Symphony acts as the year's centrepiece in July, with vocal soloists Patricia Wright and Helen Medlyn and the combined vocal cords of three large choirs. It's common knowledge that the Auckland Philharmonia does more for New Zealand music than any other orchestra, so there's a new piece by Chris Blake, a special commission from Martin Lodge, and a perhaps world-shaking concerto for full brass band and orchestra, by the Auckland Philharmonia's composer-in-residence, John Rimmer.

Conductor for much of the journey is Miguel Harth-Bedoya, but there are a few visiting maestri.

Does all this varied fare excite the players as well as the audience? Absolutely. Ashley Brown, who will be leading the cellos for most of the season, says many of the pieces present a voyage of discovery for him.

"This series lets you feel part of a really big team," he says, "and I love playing just for the music's sake.

"Highlights for me? Certainly the Mahler symphony, but I enjoy playing Beethoven, too. As a cellist, I can't wait for Julian Lloyd Webber in April, and the new concerto by Philip Glass. It's great having soloists - you get to listen at times, like a member of the audience."

Martin Lee, the orchestra's principal oboist, has played many orchestral seasons, but he still feels fragile when the year starts.

"That first concert is always a challenge," he admits, "but by the time the middle of the year comes round with its busy ballet and opera dates and the Midwinter Masterpieces series starts - then you start feeling comfortably professional again." Without a moment's hesitation, he names the Mahler symphony as the season's biggest treat.

First horn-player Nicola Averill has a new challenge after the arrival of her daughter four months ago. "Being a mother and a busy orchestral player will be difficult," she says, "but my little girl will grow up knowing what I do, and I've already found that after playing in rehearsals and gigs I go back to her feeling refreshed."

Yes, her pick of the year is the Mahler symphony. She's also eager to hear the trombone soloist in the third concert, and can't conceal her pleasure that the opening programme includes Tchaikovsky's fifth symphony, the one with a long and melting horn solo.

Like Brown and Lee, she happily explodes the myth of the hardened orchestral player, and puts in its place a new kind of musician - an enlightened professional who plays the notes with the others yet enjoys the music with the audience.

Perhaps that's the secret of this orchestra's success.

* The Auckland Philharmonia's 2002 season opens at the Town Hall on Thursday and the Founders Theatre in Hamilton on Friday.