Nostalgia and hope form the central themes of Lamb & Hayward Masterworks: Fantasia.

Aotearoa New Zealand composer Anthony Ritchie's Symphony No. 5 "Childhood" was originally written to commemorate the CSO's return to the Christchurch Town Hall and uses the idea of childhood as a metaphor for renewed hope and optimism for the future.

The symphony was originally meant to be premiered by the CSO in 2020. The 2020 Lockdown soon thwarted those plans (though the CSO did record the symphony in the Christchurch Town Hall in June 2020), so it's very special to be finally able to perform this piece to a live audience in the Christchurch Town Hall.

The evening also features Rodrigo’s famous Concierto de Aranjuez (heard in many ‘Spanish’ moments in films and TV), with Canadian guitarist Steve Cowan.

“Rodrigo’s music fuses many different influences into an eclectic style that is unmistakeably Spanish,” Steve said of the Concierto. “He will often take familiar harmonies, and by adding one or two unexpected notes to them, create a quirky and almost humorous musical effect.

“The second movement embodies feelings of joy, nostalgia, as well as a deep sadness, as it recalls both his honeymoon with his wife and the loss of their first child."

The Concierto de Aranjuez is possibly one of the most well-known pieces for classical guitar and it has been heard in many movies and television shows including Mad Men, Brassed Off, and The Sopranos.

"It's difficult to not be influenced by the countless recordings and performances of this piece, yet I tried my best to form my own authentic relationship with the music," said Steve. "For the Aranjuez... it is a wonderful feeling to lose myself in the flamenco rhythms of the first movement and the courtly dances of the third."

Starting off the evening, Edward Elgar’s Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis reminisces about the golden age of English sacred music, inspired by a melody by Thomas Tallis written for a metrical psalter (psalm book) published in 1567.

Book tickets now

Steve Cowan's performance in Lamb & Hayward Masterworks: Fantasia is proudly sponsored by the CSO's Featured Soloist Sponsor, PKF Goldsmith Fox.