A true festival coup, we present internationally renowned New Zealand composer John Psathas’ immersive world premiere featuring six grand pianos and a sweeping digital audio landscape, with a Steve Reich work as icing on the cake.

Taking inspiration from the poetic documentary Planetary, you’ll be transported around the world with sounds and music from the Amazon jungle, outer space (literally), Japan, Armenia, Africa, the Mahabharata, Aotearoa forests, roaring multitudes, predators from the wild, cataclysmic weather events, Tibetan meditation, and more than a dozen musical genres… all in 45 minutes.

Leading New Zealand pianists Stephen De Pledge, Arts Foundation Laureate Michael Houstoun, Somi Kim, Jian Liu, Sarah Watkins and Liam Wooding form a rare combination of instrumental heft and world-class talent – so rare, in fact, that as an extra treat we also present Six Pianos by groundbreaking and award-winning US composer, Steve Reich.

 

Join us in these free pre-show activities:

Planetary Documentary Screening

Planetary was the inspiration for composer John Psathas’ Voices at the End. It is a provocative and breathtaking wake-up call – a cross-continental cinematic journey, that explores our cosmic origins and our future as a species. It is a poetic and humbling reminder that now is the time to shift our perspective. It asks us to rethink who we really are, to reconsider our relationship with ourselves, each other and the world around us – to remember that we are planetary.

Thursday 18 March, 6.00pm–7.30pm
Digital Stage, Aotea Square

Pre-show Talk
John Psathas and Voices at the End's sound engineer will play examples of the intricacies and nuances of this performance to give audiences a deeper understanding on the piece, with a specific focus on surround sound.

Thursday 18 March, 6.30pm–7.00pm
Great Hall, Auckland Town Hall

View the show programme ahead of time here.