Appalachian Spring

We launch fully into our 2027 dance theme with The Chairman Dances, an excerpt from John Adams’ opera Nixon in China. Adams says he was inspired by “the irresistible image of a youthful Mao Tse-Tung dancing the foxtrot with his mistress Chiang Ch’ing, former B-movie queen and the future Madame Mao, the mind and spirit behind the Cultural Revolution and the strident, unrehabilitated member of the Gang of Four.” The music sparkles with chimes and high delicate woodwinds as well Adams’ trademark hypnotic rhythms.

Then we are thrilled to welcome the beloved NZTrio as soloists for the premiere of an exciting new work they themselves have commissioned, Ewan Clark’s Karehana Concerto.

Aaron Copland was sought out by the famous American dancer Martha Graham, seeking a ballet score that would capture something essentially modern and American. She offered him the title, Appalachian Spring, taken from a line by American poet Hart Crane. Copland responded with this wonderful music evoking expansive landscapes and the pioneer spirit of freedom.

For contrast, we follow Copland with Stravinsky’s Symphony in Three Movements, which overflows with big illustrative gestures taken from his wartime newsreel pieces. Imagine troops in action, planes on strafing runs. It’s a fascinating blend of cinematic drama shot through with the light, restless neo-Classical style he’d been developing.