New Zealand violin virtuoso Amalia Hall to play in Whanganui next month

Violinist Amalia Hall will perform at the Whanganui War Memorial Centre's concert chamber next month. Photo / Adrian Malloch

Internationally acclaimed violinist Amalia Hall, accompanied by pianist Stephen De Pledge, will play in Whanganui on August 2.

Chamber Music Wanganui resumed its 2020 subscription series with a fabulous jazz concert by the Lucien Johnson Quartet on July 4, with Hall and De Pledge lined up for the next concert at the Whanganui War Memorial Centre's concert chamber.

"They will present a programme including Beethoven's glorious Spring Sonata and the Camille Saint-Saens Violin Sonata," Chamber Music Wanganui's Ingrid Culliford said.

"Saint-Saens jokingly told his publisher that his violin sonata should be called 'the hippogriff sonata' insinuating that only a mythical creature could play the violin part."

Culliford said the sonata was written in the year between Saint-Saens' widely known masterpiece Carnival of the Animals and his Organ Symphony and treats the listener to an abundance of glistening colours that are distinctly French.

Hall and De Pledge will open the concert with Spring Sonata – a piece with its own celebrity status, even featuring in the stage show Fame and being a staple of violin exams around the world.

"Amalia and Stephen will play Kreisler's arrangement of Gershwin's Three Preludes, a short work by Gao Ping and a Mozart sonata," Culliford said.

"Amalia is a huge international star and, in the past few weeks, she has played the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, a Mozart Concerto with Orchestra Wellington, as well as embarking on this tour, replacing the 2019 Michael Hill International Violin Competition winner Anna Im who is unable to be here due to border restrictions."

Hall's competition successes include laureate prizes at the Joseph Joachim International Violin Competition in Hannover, the International Violin Competition Premio R. Lipizer, the International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians, Premio Citta di Padova International Competition for Soloists and Orchestra, and the Kloster Schontal International Violin Competition.

"She won both first prize and the overall prize in the Royal Overseas League Overseas Award and also won both prizes at the Tunbridge Wells International Music Competition.

"And she has received the top prize at the Jeunesses International Music Competition Dinu Lipatti, first prize at the Leos Janacek International Competition, first and absolute winner prize at the Postacchini International Violin Competition and at 16 won the Gisborne International Music Competition as well as many special prizes at these competitions."

Amalia Hall with Stephen De Pledge: Concert Chamber, Whanganui War Memorial Centre, 4pm, Sunday, August 2. Tickets available in advance from the Royal Wanganui Opera House box office or at the door (cash only). Adults $35, seniors $32, subscribers $20, students $5. This tour is arranged by Chamber Music NZ in association with the Michael Hill International Violin Competition and is sponsored locally by Belton Smith and Associates.