New Zealand Symphony Orchestra Tickets

Fabian Russell Conductor

David Mason NYO Composer-in-Residence Wāhi Ngaro

Hindemith Symphonic Metamorphosis of Themes by Carl Maria von Weber

Mahler Symphony No. 1 Titan

New Zealand’s best young orchestral musicians unite to tackle the greatest symphonic works – and what could be greater than Mahler’s First Symphony, the Titan?

Mahler always thought a symphony should contain a whole world; the Titan celebrates the entire universe. Deploying his unique genius for folding song into symphony, Mahler’s Titan memorably quotes Lieder from his own song cycle Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen (Songs of the Wayfarer), as well as referencing “Frére Jacques”, bird calls, Austrian ländler dances, and Eastern-European wedding music.

Inspired by piano duets from Classical composer Carl Maria von Weber, Hindemith borrowed from these delightful tunes and symphonically transformed them. The result? The irrepressibly entertaining Symphonic Metamorphoses on Carl Maria von Weber, overflowing with splashes of orchestral colour.

David Mason, NYO’s 2022 Composer-in-Residence, draws on both his Māori heritage and his classical music training for Wāhi Ngaro. “By integrating the style and colour of traditional Māori music with the vast malleable sonic capabilities of the orchestra, I aim to develop a wholly Māori orchestral sound.”