New Zealand Chamber Soloists Release CD - Elegy

New Zealand Music-lovers have come to expect nothing less than excellence from the New Zealand Chamber Soloists, a group formed in 2006 from a range of artists who have connections with the University of Waikato through teaching and research, and all of whom have national and international careers as performers. Last year, the group’s Ahi CD was nominated as one of the best classical recordings of the year in the annual RIANZ Awards, and the ensemble’s new Ode release, Elegy, will be a strong contender for similar honours when the next round of nominations come around.

Violinist Lara Hall, cellist James Tennant and pianist Katherine Austin have focused on gems from the Russian repertoire on this new recording, ranging from Rachmaninov’s exquisite single-movement Trio Elegiaque, which gives the album its name to the dramatic E minor Trio of Dimitri Shostakovich, which catches the unsettling years of the Second World War.  In between are the irresistible rhythms and melodies of the popular 1952 Piano Trio by the Armenian composer Arno Babajanian. The New Zealand Chamber Soloists are passionate about revitalising classical music as a spontaneous and vitally alive experience. The new album, Elegy, is more than ample evidence of how brilliantly these musicians are achieving their goals. A CD launch to celebrate the release of Elegy was held at the Academy of Performing Arts, University of Waikato, on Monday 28th of June.

The CD is available for purchase from Marbecks http://www.marbecks.co.nz/.