Crescendo

Famous New Zealanders talk about the music that moves them with the people who make it, celebrating the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra's 75th anniversary.

Episodes

Beethoven’s Symphony #5 with Teuila Blakely

December 21, 2022 • 13 mins

Actress and producer Teuila Blakely reveals how the music of Beethoven sustained her in the face of prejudice and racism.

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Elgar’s Cello Concerto in E Minor with Morgan Leary

December 18, 2022 • 11 mins

Musician Morgan Leary discusses the influence of the famous British composer, Edward Elgar, on her musical development and with NZSO cellist Elizabeth Patchett revisits Jacqueline du Pre's stunning performance of his Cello Concerto in E Minor.

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The ENZO version of Split Enz with Eddie Rayner

December 14, 2022 • 13 mins

Legendary Split Enz keyboardist Eddie Rayner explains the genesis of ENZSO, a musical collaboration between the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, and a roster of well known singers performing new arrangements of Split Enz songs, including the band’s 1984 hit “Message to My Girl”

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Symphonie Fantastique by Berlioz with Miranda Harcourt

December 11, 2022 • 13 mins

Celebrated actor, director and acting coach Miranda Harcourt explores her sense of connection with Symphonie Fantastique by French composer Hector Berlioz, and NZSO bassoonist David Angus gives an insight into the intense experience of playing the piece.

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Johan Halvorsen’s Passacaglia with Emma Dias

December 7, 2022 • 10 mins

Year 12 music student Emma Dias explains her connection with the Passacaglia For Violin and Viola by Norwegian composer Johan Halvorsen and describes how she was introduced to the piece by her violin teacher, Gregory Squire from the NZSO.

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Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf with Karen O Leary

December 4, 2022 • 10 mins

Actor Karen O Leary explains her connection with Peter and the Wolf - a beloved piece of music written originally for children, while NZSO flutist Bridget Douglas explains the challenges that come with getting into character for the piece.

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Schubert with Dr Graeme Downes

November 30, 2022 • 11 mins

Rock and roll star turned musicologist Graeme Downes gives a masterful breakdown of the enduring brilliance of Schubert's Symphony #9 in C major, and why it’s had a hold on his heart all these years, while NZSO violinist Haihong Liu has her own ideas about what makes Schubert’s “Great” symphony so great.

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The Rite of Spring by Stravinsky with Witi Ihimaera

November 27, 2022 • 12 mins

One of our most celebrated authors, Witi Ihimaera, recalls how his life changed when he first heard The Rite of Spring by Stravinsky, as a young boy listening to a record player in Gisborne. And NZSO double bass player Alexander Gunchenko explains the fiendish difficulty of playing the piece.

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Nimrod with Dame Kiri Te Kanawa

November 23, 2022 • 8 mins

One of Aotearoa's legendary performers, opera singer Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, describes the complicated feelings of homesickness stirred in her by Elgar's "Nimrod" while NZSO cellist Brigid O'Meeghan explains why the piece has the power to move listeners, more than one hundred years after it was composed.

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Beethoven's Choral Symphony with Dame Patsy Reddy

November 20, 2022 • 11 mins

Dame Patsy Reddy talks about the enduring power of Beethoven’s famous choral symphony, and NZSO conductor Gemma New explains why the symphony packs such an unforgettable emotional punch.

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Crescendo

Episodes

.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}Beethoven’s Symphony #5 with Teuila Blakely

.css-r6mb8g{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:1;overflow:hidden;}Elgar’s Cello Concerto in E Minor with Morgan Leary

The ENZO version of Split Enz with Eddie Rayner

Symphonie Fantastique by Berlioz with Miranda Harcourt

Johan Halvorsen’s Passacaglia with Emma Dias

Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf with Karen O Leary

Schubert with Dr Graeme Downes

The Rite of Spring by Stravinsky with Witi Ihimaera

Nimrod with Dame Kiri Te Kanawa

Beethoven's Choral Symphony with Dame Patsy Reddy

Popular Podcasts

Beethoven’s Symphony #5 with Teuila Blakely

Elgar’s Cello Concerto in E Minor with Morgan Leary