Flourishes by NZTrio

BEST CLASSICAL ALBUM finalist 2010

FLOURISHES is the third album by one of New Zealand’s most accomplished classical groups. Playing with the boundaries of contemporary chamber music, NZTrio brings its much-heralded blend of contrasting works to its new album, which provides a snapshot of the type of programme the group loves to perform live.

Recent NZTrio commissions by Wayan Yudane and Eve de Castro Robinson are very much at home among the masterworks of Mozart and Ravel, with Arvo Pärt’s lovely take on a Mozart Adagio in the middle, forming what the trio calls a ‘fascinating and unexpected mix’.

"A watery theme pervades this NZTrio's third album, particularly the new commissions - "Entering the Stream" by Wellington-based Indonesian composer Wayan Gde Yudane and "At Water's Birth" by Auckland's Eve de Castro-Robinson. Yudane's eddying piano, playful pizzicato and occasional jazz harmonies contrast with de Castro-Robinson's sombre otherworldliness. Well known for commissioning, the NZTrio hit on a couple of stunners here. Works by Arvo Part, Mozart and Ravel complete the recording." — Review by Amy Cameron