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Donizetti Trio

This Auckland based trio will be familiar to audiences as they have been active since 2009, are often to be heard on Radio New Zealand Concert FM and toured for CMNZ in 2014.

This group have a passion for showcasing the little-known but attractive repertoire for this combination of flute, bassoon and piano ranging from the Italian baroque to the present day. The Trio is particularly enthusiastic about the virtuoso Italian opera fantasias from the bel canto era tempered by works written for them by New Zealand composers.

Concert Review - Donizetti Trio View Programme Notes In association with Chamber Music New Zealand

Review of Donizetti Trio:

Brava Bravissimo! Congratulations to both Tauranga Musica and the Donizetti Trio for presenting truly glorious afternoon of sublime chamber music.

As the light of the setting sun behind Mauao illuminated the sanctuary of the little stone church of St. Peter's, three absolutely extraordinary and remarkable players took to their instruments.

Opening with Vivaldi's virtuosic Flute Sonata in A Minor (RV. 86), the trio took no time at all to convince the audience of their wealth of talent and passion for their art. The healthy Allegro passages were filled with typical florid passages of parallel semiquavers between Manghi on flute and Hoadley on bassoon which were executed with jaw-dropping ease and accuracy.

The trio followed with a rarely-heard piece of chamber music by a young Donizetti (Trio in F Major) written especially for this unique ensemble of instruments. The fantastic bel canto melodies and musical ideas which would later earn the composer much fame in his operas were sung sweetly and beautifully by all 3 instruments.

The highlight of the first half of the concert was undoubtedly a commission of the trio of a Prelude, Fugue, Variations, and Chaconne by New Zealand composer, Janet Jennings, who, present in the audience, obliged to introduce her work. Using older musical forms and models, Jennings was able to produce something fresh and new. The admiration of musicians for their composer and of the composer for her musicians was powerful and moving. The trio performed here with reverent intensity and a profound sense of intimacy.

The concert's second half featured a composition of Hoadley's written for Manghi on alto flute and Kelly on piano. Hoadley had Manghi tax his instrument to the utmost, taking it to the absolute limits of sound exploration. What an exciting work this was, filled with raw emotion and a rich scenic sound-scape.

The trio ended with a Fantasia on themes from Mozart's Die Zauberflote. This was a charming amalgamation of some of the more famous melodies found within the famous opera. It is no wonder that Hoadley has recently released a recording of the Mozart Bassoon Concerto. He has a deep understanding of the Mozartian line; its beauty and its sweetness.

These three musicians are truly outstanding and stirring in their delivery. Each of them a virtuoso in their own right, they have been fortunate, through a shared passion, to find one another. And we are all the better for it.

- 16 June, 2019