Mahler's Resurrection

Dunedin Symphony Orchestra

New Zealand Symphony Orchestra

City Choir Dunedin, guest singers, guest soloists

Friday, May 15, Dunedin Town Hall

Review by Sam Henderson

Under the precise baton of conductor James Judd, about 120 instrumentalists from the Dunedin Symphony and New Zealand Symphony orchestras combined with a chorus of about 120 voices to perform Gustav Mahler's Symphony No 2 "Resurrection".

Guided by musical director David Burchell, the City Choir Dunedin was bolstered by guest singers from a wide range of local vocal groups.

Soprano Anna Leese and mezzo-soprano Deborah Humble featured as the evening's stellar soloists.

The performance began with Fanfare Kotahitanga , a specially commissioned piece by local composer Anthony Ritchie. He conceived the central theme overnight while undergoing chemotherapy, constructing a long arching pentatonic melody that radiates hope and determination.…