UWE GRODD Conductor                               
ANNA LEESE Soprano   

Presenting a Mahler symphony is for any orchestra a symbol of maturity. His Fourth Symphony in G major, completed in 1900, is built around a single song – ‘Das Himmlische Leben’ (The Heavenly Life) – which describes all the pleasures awaiting us in heaven. The song is prefigured in various ways in the first three movements and sung by a solo soprano in the final movement. MSO welcomes lyric soprano, Anna Leese, now based in Dunedin, to sing Mahler’s fervent and happy message.

Anna will charm us with six of Richard Strauss’ exquisite and emotional orchestral songs. She will take us through the human journey of love, longing, celebration and gratitude. Tonight features some of Richard Strauss’ most-loved songs, including Morgen! (Tomorrow) – written as a wedding gift to his wife.

Mozart’s curtain raiser Overture to his opera Il Seraglio is characterised by the use of  instruments – unusual for its time – such as cymbals, big (Turkish) drums, piccolo and triangles. With The Abduction from the Seraglio, Mozart created an orchestral ‘orientalist’ view into the life of a Turkish harem and was a tremendous success.