This August, one of the world’s most celebrated violinists, Augustin Hadelich, will return to Aotearoa New Zealand for a series of concerts in Wellington, Auckland, Rotorua, and Hamilton.
The Grammy Award-winner will perform Tchaikovsky’s acclaimed Violin Concerto with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of the esteemed Finnish conductor Dima Slobodeniouk, making his debut with the orchestra.
Hadelich previously captivated New Zealand audiences during his 2018 performance with the NZSO. The Waikato Times noted that his performance in Hamilton was so moving that it brought some audience members to tears.
American critics have compared Hadelich’s impact to that of a rock star. He has been praised for his masterful playing on his 1723 Stradivarius, with one review noting that he “spins a complex, emotional story” akin to a guitar virtuoso.
In a recent performance with the Los Angeles Philharmonic on a 1744 ‘del Gesu’ violin, Hadelich was described as having “laid it down like a boss.”
In an interview this year, Hadelich expressed his enduring passion for Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto, stating that he finds it both exhilarating and intense, and that he always feels excited and fulfilled after performing it.
This month, Warner Classics will release Hadelich’s new album, American Road Trips, featuring works by American composers such as Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland, Amy Beach, and John Adams.
Hadelich will join the NZSO for their La Mer concerts in Wellington and Auckland and their Pastoral concerts in Rotorua and Hamilton, in collaboration with the New Zealand Herald.
The Wellington and Auckland performances will also include Claude Debussy’s iconic impressionist work La Mer and Jean Sibelius’ evocative The Oceanides, composed during his voyage to the United States.
In Rotorua and Hamilton, the NZSO, led by Maestro Slobodeniouk, will also perform Beethoven’s Sixth Symphony, Pastoral, a beloved ode to nature and the countryside.
Maestro Slobodeniouk, renowned for his dynamic and engaging conducting style, is a highly sought-after conductor, with notable engagements including the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Berliner Philharmoniker, and Gewandhausorchester Leipzig.
