NZSO Maxim Vengerov: Plays Sibelius

R Schumann, Symphony No. 4 (1851 revision)
Sibelius, Violin Concerto

It’s not everyday that New Zealand gets to hear a true superstar in the flesh. In August 2024, Wellington gets to hear just that, when Maxim Vengerov makes his Aotearoa debut playing Sibelius.

Vengerov was a child prodigy, debuting as a soloist at just age 5. Since then, he has been celebrated for “his communicative, colourful and technically near-miraculous playing, and an individual sound recognisable for its seductive richness” (Sun Times) and dubbed “one of the greatest violinists in the world” (Classic FM). We can only imagine the fireworks that will fly from his bow when he performs the Sibelius Violin Concerto, distinguished by its yearning melodies, furrowed-brow drama and its stratospheric technical demands.

Schumann’s Fourth Symphony is the perfect programme partner for the Sibelius. The work fervently expresses Schumann’s Romantic-era sensibilities, pushing forward like “a well-written novel with a gripping plot full of surprising twists and turns” (Calvin Dotsey).