Celebrating the Organ

"Three cheers (and more) for Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra's new Celebrating the Organ CD." (William Dart NZ Herald)

APO Live is a new label that showcases some of the Auckland Philarmonia's concert highlights and performances.

Working with Atoll Records, the APO select the best of their programme each year for you to enjoy at home or on the move - allowing our concerts to be enjoyed beyond the concert stage.

In 2010 the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra celebrated 30 years playing for Auckland. This first APO Live CD marks this momentous anniversary as well as the inauguration of the Auckland Town Hall organ and the fi rst chance to hear this grand instrument in its refurbished configuration.

The Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra is now well-established
as a valued cultural asset for the Auckland region, renowned for its innovation, passion and versatility. It is the city's only resident full-time, professional symphony orchestra.

Each year the APO presents a full season of symphonic works, supports the NBR New Zealand Opera and the Royal New Zealand Ballet, and collaborates with some of New Zealand's most innovative contemporary artists. The APO has also been and is the orchestra of choice for visiting international classical artists and popular musicians.

Thomas Trotter:
Thomas Trotter is one of Britain's most widely admired musicians. He performs as soloist with, amongst many others, the conductors Sir Simon Rattle, Bernard Haitink, Riccardo Chailly and Sir Charles Mackerras. He has performed recitals in Berlin's Philharmonie, the Gewandhaus in Leipzig, the Musikverein and the Konzerthaus in Vienna and London's Royal Festival Hall. He has given the opening recital on new or restored organs in places such as Princeton University Chapel (New Jersey), the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Royal Albert Hall, and Moscow's International Performing Arts Centre. He appears at major Festivals such as Salzburg, Edinburgh and London's BBC Proms, and he performs with leading orchestras such as the Vienna, Berlin and London Philharmonic.

The Auckland Town Hall Organ
The impressive organ of the Auckland Town Hall, rebuilt by Klais Orgelbau of Bonn, Germany, was re-inaugurated on 21 March 2010, a little more than a year before the centennial of the inauguration of the Norman & Beard organ on which it is based, and of the opening of the Town Hall itself in December 1911. This concert marks its fi rst performance with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, on 25 March 2010.