By Matt Micucci
Grammy-nominated jazz pianist Uri Caine will be embarking on a 10 date tour of New Zealand from March 18-31. The tour is organized by Chamber Music New Zealand, the largest presenter of chamber music concerts of the country and will include a performance on the closing date of the New Zealand Festival, on March 20 in Wellington.
The March 20 concert will also be 1 of 4 dates of the tour on which Caine will be joined by the New Zealand String Quartet. This collaboration will feature an improvisation on the Allegretto con variazioni of Beethoven’s ‘Harp’ Quartet Op. 74, and the Goldberg Variations of Bach, along with performances of Caine’s original compositions “Jagged Edges” and “String Theories.”
The rest of his dates will be solo concerts, which will include improvisations on works by Scarlatti, Mozart, Mahler and Albeniz. Caine will also perform some jazz standards, along with his own original compositions.
Chamber Music New Zealand chief executive Peter Walls says he discovered Uri Caine some years ago. “I was completely won over by his treatment of music that I knew and loved. His Goldberg Variations are a revelation because Uri recognizes that Bach has something to say, not just to jazz musicians, but to hard rock aficionados and early music buffs too. Each variation is given a fresh treatment with enormous variety in the character and style, and humour.”
