Dutch Trombone Master To Shine With The NZSO In April
by NZSO · SCOOPInternationally renowned Dutch virtuoso Jörgen van Rijen makes his long-awaited debut with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra this April in Wellington and Auckland.
Praised for his “dazzling virtuosity” (Dallas News) and “melodic grace” (The Times) van Rijen joins the NZSO for the world premiere of a thrilling new concerto written especially for him by celebrated American composer Andrew Norman, co-commissioned by the NZSO.
Winner of the Netherlands’ prestigious Music Prize, van Rijen has performed with top orchestras around the globe and inspired new works from leading composers, including Grammy Award winners Tan Dun and Bryce Dessner, and Grammy nominee James MacMillan. He currently serves as Principal Trombone of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam.
His love for the trombone began at the age of four. “I don’t know exactly why, because I was so young I can’t remember,” he has said. “My parents thought, ‘that will change… he’ll choose a flute or a clarinet.’ But I stuck with the trombone.”
Norman—twice nominated for a Grammy Award, a Pulitzer Prize runner up and hailed by the New York Times as “one of the most gifted and respected composers of his generation”—is known for pushing musical boundaries, drawing inspiration from classical traditions as well as film and videogame sound worlds.
The composer will be in New Zealand for the premiere of his Slip: Concerto for Trombone and Orchestra performed by van Rijen and the orchestra, led by acclaimed German conductor and NZSO Music Director Designate André de Ridder.
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The NZSO’s Resonance concert also features two powerful and deeply moving works by music giants Maurice Ravel and Dmitri Shostakovich.
Ravel’s Pavane pour une infante défunte (Pavane for a Dead Princess), inspired by a courtly Renaissance dance, reimagines with elegance and warmth the story of a longago Spanish princess.
Such is the scale and immensity of Shostakovich’s Eighth Symphony the NZSO will have 94 musicians on stage conducted by Maestro de Ridder. Written in 1943, the symphony is one of Shostakovich’s most powerful and tragic wartime works—and a deeply human response to suffering and resilience. Marked by a brooding intensity and emotional depth, it remains a clarion call for peace.
NZSO Chief Executive Marc Feldman says Resonance is a concert for our times.
“Maestro de Ridder brings us a powerful programme shaped by contrasts. From the ethereal glow of Ravel’s luminous sound world to the towering emotional force of Shostakovich, this is music that confronts darkness and insists on the triumph of light. At its heart is a world premiere showcasing the extraordinary artistry of trombone virtuoso Jörgen van Rijen.”
André de Ridder appears with generous support from The Diessl Family.
ALSO COMING UP
Macbeth – with Royal New Zealand Ballet, Auckland (4-7 Mar), Dunedin (13-14 Mar), Christchurch (18-21 Mar)
TEIWA – with Rob Ruha, TOA (Te Taumata O Apanui), Wellington (7 Mar)
Gloria – with NZ Dance Company & Co3 Contemporary Dance Australia, Wellington (12-14 Mar)
Ara Hura – with Voices New Zealand, Wellington (15 Mar)
Bic Runga & the NZSO – conductor David Kay. Wellington (2 Apr)
Resurgence – Conductor James Judd. Hamilton (8 May) Tauranga (9 May)
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