Barley and De Pledge: Dream team
“Musical relationships are like fine wine and beautiful old cellos,” says acclaimed English cellist Matthew Barley. “They get better with time.” He and New Zealand pianist Stephen de Pledge were introduced by a mutual friend two decades ago, when de Pledge was based in London. Together they’ve performed and toured many times since. “We just clicked,” says de Pledge, on the eve of their ten-concert national tour in August with Chamber Music New Zealand. “We’re great friends, and, musically, we’re both naturally inquisitive and easily bored, so we strive to do interesting stuff.”
Barley is always surprised by how little rehearsal they need when they get together. De Pledge, he says, “has a really good balance between the confident strength of a soloist and the quick sensitive reactions of the chamber musician. It creates a wonderful field for music-making.”
Their New Zealand programme combines beloved popular repertoire for cello and piano with some of that “interesting stuff”. Opening with the gorgeous melodic conversation between cello and piano of Schumann’s Adagio and Allegro Opus 70, the programme has at its heart substantial sonatas by Beethoven and Brahms. “It’s a dream programme to play,” says Barley. “We’ve all had such a tough couple of years, I wanted to make a whole evening of pure reward and pleasure.”
The pair are also keen to entertain their audiences with occasional surprises. Barley describes as “little jewels” the Three Pieces for Cello and Piano composed by Frenchwoman Nadia Boulanger a century ago. “The interplay between the instruments is very clever and the Finale is just helter-skelter.”
Cellist Matthew Barley
“…something theatrical and flamboyant.”
Their programme ends with music Barley and de Pledge first performed many years ago and included on their 2005 album “Reminding”. Looking for a virtuosic work to end a concert, Barley made an arrangement of Shostakovich’s Suite from Cheryomushki. “I wanted some humour, something theatrical and flamboyant that showed off the capabilities of the cello,” he tells me. “It features a medley of very beautiful Russian folk songs, some of which the audience will know from other classical works.It’s great fun to play, but fiendishly difficult!”
“Beethoven & Brahms” with Matthew Barley (cello) and Stephen de Pledge (cello) Auckland, Hamilton, New Plymouth, Napier, Wellington, Nelson, Christchurch, Dunedin, Invercargill & Palmerston North 8 – 22 August 2022 Programme recorded by RNZ Concert for later broadcast. More information here
Other media
View all
Passing the Torch
In the middle of her daughter Emily’s performance in the Otago District Rounds of the Chamber Music Contest, Philippa Fotheringham’s Garmin watch told her that her heartrate was abnormally high.
I is for Innovation
“Music is a universal language. Even if some of the [students] are non-verbal, or they can’t see, music is a language you can speak with them.” - Toby, Awatapu College music student
CMNZ Welcomes Two New Trustees
Chamber Music New Zealand is excited to welcome two new trustees, Barbara Salazar and Gabriel Kirkwood, to its board. Both bring a wealth of professional expertise and a deep passion for music, strengthening CMNZ’s commitment to diverse leadership and the arts community.
Creativity, Atua, and Digital Technology - a spotlight on Mai Te Uira
“No one has a crystal ball. It’s going to [be] a whole new bizarre world in the next 50 to 100 years, and we’re just only at the tip of it. It’s exciting for me as a Māori artist to explore the influence that AI has on indigenous cultures.” ~ Tiki Taane
2024 Annual Report
A summary of Chamber Music New Zealand Puoro Taiwhanga Aotearoa's 2024 year, detailing our concerts and community engagement activities.
Kōrero with Piers Lane
We caught up with pianist Piers Lane as he prepares to tour all 21 of Chopin’s Nocturnes to 13 centres across Aotearoa—a rare chance to hear these exquisite works as a complete cycle. He shares his insights on interpretation, the challenges of such an intimate programme, and how each performance brings something new.
