Entertainment
William Dart review: Sophia Liu brings cool elegance to Beethoven's Piano Concerto No.4
Bartok’s The Wooden Prince had its New Zealand premiere over a century later.
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Stories and analysis from The Northern Express Herald.
Cosmic Trilogy: Connesson's Southern Hemisphere premiere enthrals
Nodoka Okisawa led the Auckland Philharmonia to a tumultuous Organ Symphony finale.
William Dart review: Simon O'Neill anchors NZSO's Wagner concert with vocal heft
REVIEW: Simon O'Neill and Pietari Inkinen reunited for a stirring Wagner concert.
William Dart review: Sheku Kanneh-Mason puts his personal seal on Elgar's Cello Concerto
Ligeti, Sibelius and Elgar form a richly rewarding Auckland programme.
Benjamin Beilman triumphs in Nielsen with Auckland Philharmonia
REVIEW: Auckland hosted an Australasian exclusive of Carl Nielsen's Violin Concerto.
William Dart review: Madama Butterfly soars at Town Hall in operatic triumph
Puccini’s 'Madama Butterfly' has not been staged since 2013.
William Dart review: Auckland Philharmonia delivers masterful Beethoven and Mendelssohn under Bellincampi
REVIEW: Beethoven's Symphony No 2 closed the night with vivid, finely drawn energy.
Puccini’s heartbreak and hometown harmony bring Opera Gala to a stirring close
Soprano Felicity Tomkins and tenor Ridge Ponini shone in Manon Lescaut.
William Dart review: Shaham soars with Beethoven in thrilling Auckland Philharmonia concert
American violinist Gil Shaham led Beethoven’s violin concerto with lyric grace.
Bach Musica NZ brings rare Brahms and fiery Falla to Auckland Town Hall
Jose Aparicio led Bach Musica NZ’s sweeping programme with confident finesse.
William Dart review: A night of farewells and firsts for Auckland Philharmonia’s full-house concert
A packed Town Hall audience applauded throughout the Chopin and Tchaikovsky night.
William Dart review: Colombis takes top honours at 25th Michael Hill violin final
Beatrice Colombis claimed the top prize with Shostakovich’s A minor Concerto.
William Dart review: Ehnes and Rachid dazzle as AP’s Mozart night becomes unexpected double act
French conductor Samy Rachid turned Mozart's Haffner Symphony into a curtain-raiser.
NZTrio opens Dreamscape series with dazzling journey through sound and memory
Wellington pianist Jian Liu stepped in for regular NZTrio member Somi Kim.
William Dart review: Sylvia Jiang shines in Shostakovich at Auckland Philharmonia concert
REVIEW: Pianist Sylvia Jiang dazzles in Shostakovich's Piano Concerto No 1.
William Dart review: NZSO dives from Ravel's lush lament into Shostakovich's war-torn world
REVIEW: Andre de Ridder framed Shostakovich's Symphony No 8 as a World War II requiem.
William Dart review: Ravel draws crowd but daring Kiwi concerto steals Auckland Philharmonia show
Michael Norris’ 20-minute violin concerto 'Sama' dazzled a packed town hall.
William Dart review: Shanghai Symphony Orchestra dazzles at Auckland Arts Festival concerts
REVIEW: The Shanghai Symphony Orchestra drew packed Town Hall audiences on both nights.
William Dart review: Bartok opera dazzles at Auckland Arts Festival
Susan Bullock and Lester Lynch return to lead this radical Bluebeard revival.
William Dart review: Grammy winner Julia Bullock and the Auckland Philharmonia
REVIEW: Bullock traced a century of American music, from Gershwin to Josephine Baker.
William Dart review: Bellincampi leads Auckland Philharmonia in uplifting Mendelssohn and Dvorak programme
REVIEW: Maria Grenfell's Hinemoa had its long-delayed New Zealand concert debut.
William Dart review : Auckland Philharmonia opens 2026 Classics in full bloom
Giordano Bellincampi opened the 2026 Classics series with a Best of Brahms.
William Dart review: Alexander Gavrylyuk ignites Rachmaninov 3
Alexander Gavrylyuk ignites Rachmaninov's epic Piano Concerto No. 3.
William Dart review: Handel’s Messiah closes Auckland Choral’s 2025 season in style
REVIEW: Conductor Uwe Grodd hailed the work as art that ‘binds us together’.
William Dart review: Rita Paczian farewelled in jubilant Bach Musica NZ finale
The programme paired Bach favourites with Handel's regal coronation anthems.
William Dart review: Joyce DiDonato dazzles in luminous night with NZ Symphony Orchestra
REVIEW: Joyce DiDonato dazzled in Berlioz' Les Nuits d'ete with NZSO and Gemma New.
William Dart review: Giordano Bellincampi leads triumphant Mahler finale for Auckland Philharmonia
Giordano Bellincampi led the orchestra through Mahler’s full 132 minutes.
William Dart review: Daniel Müller-Schott captivates in Schumann concerto with Auckland Philharmonia
German cellist Daniel Muller-Schott led Schumann's concerto with rare grace.
William Dart review: Baroque & Beyond bows out with a rousing night of Airs & Dances
REVIEW: This marks the final Baroque & Beyond concert before the series pauses next year.
William Dart review: Fantastique! concert casts a spell with devilry and dazzling musicianship
REVIEW: Pierre Bleuse shaped Berlioz' Symphonie Fantastique with electrifying clarity.
William Dart review: NZSO and Voices New Zealand soar in Rossini–Kelly Stabat Mater
REVIEW: Valentina Peleggi led the NZSO and the Voices NZ Choir in a fiery Rossini work.
William Dart review: Teen violinist Chloe Chua stuns Auckland Town Hall with Philharmonia debut
Conductor Shiyeon Sung led with precision through symphonic surges and wit.