The APO Discovery Concert brings the NZ music curriculum to life, and in this annual concert, students are able to hear legendary works performed live by the full Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra in the Auckland Town Hall.
On Thursday 12 May, our Westlake Girls High School Year 9 Music Academy had the pleasure of attending this vibrant performance and experiencing some magical works performed.
The Discovery Concert took students on a journey around the world, and the programme included works from Offenbach (German/French), Grieg (Norway), Smetana (Czechia), Honegger (Switzerland), Mendelssohn (Germany) and Salina Fisher (NZ).
A selection of student reviews on specific works and the performance are included below:
“I really liked the overall dynamic and tempo of this piece. It’s quiet for a long time, and then suddenly, when the timpani comes in, the music is back to being loud, with many instruments playing, with varying dynamics. My favourite was when it got to the end of the overture, where the iconic part of the overture was played. The dynamic and sound of this part was enjoyable to listen to.” Offenbach ‘Orpheus in the Underworld: Overture’ – Rhona Gillam
“I adored the Honegger piece as it started with an alerting note from the double bass. The double bass in this piece reflected the experience of going on a train, and created a vivid imagery of the experience of actually being in one. The other instruments followed along, adding great sound to the piece as the tempo started rapidly increasing. The pitch of this piece was preferably lower–from the double bass. The string and woodwind instruments added different dynamics to this piece and complimented the melody gloriously.”
Honegger ‘Pacific 231’ – Rachel Chen
“The APOP Discovery Concert was very fascinating to watch with all the orchestra instruments playing together so differently, but the music still sounded so incredible. The differences of the styles of the music played, and their time period was stunning, especially how different some of them were. How they travelled through all the different types of music across the world was really interesting and fun to watch.” – Tara Burns