Fauré, Farr, Schumann

Our Season 2026 opens on a graceful, wild and optimistic note.

Fauré’s Pavane floats in with the grace of its 16th-century court dance inspiration. Its haunting flute theme and delicate textures create an elegant, timeless atmosphere that once heard, is never forgotten.

NZTrio commissioned Aotearoa composer Gareth Farr to expand his Triple Concerto into a full-length work, which premiered in 2005 with CSO. Twenty years later, we’re delighted to reunite with NZTrio to bring it back to Ōtautahi. Farr said of the work, “I let the Trio play as if it was chamber music, there are tutti passages where the Trio plays in balance with the orchestra, and then orchestral passages where the Trio drops out and the orchestra goes wild!”

Written in just four days, Schumann’s Symphony No. 1, bursts open with glorious fanfare, announcing the arrival of spring. Composed at a moment of personal and creative renewal following his marriage to Clara Wieck, it’s a work that sings with freshness and a bubbling sense of joy and celebration throughout. There’s no grand philosophical statement here – Schumann is simply happy and invites us to revel in the moment.

With thanks to CSO Soloist Partner PKF Goldsmith Fox, and CSO Library Supporters Susan Henson & Thomas Young (Farr).

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Members only pre-sale: 17 – 31 October

First release tickets on sale: 1 – 30 November (10% off full-price tickets, excludes Lamb & Hayward Curator's Series)

General sale: From 1 December