Auckland Arts Festival – Carla's final choices

Auckland Arts Festival
March 8-26

Next week the Auckland Arts Festival starts presenting a huge range of perming and visual arts. Carla van Zorn, who has been the artistic director of both the Wellington Festival and the Auckland Arts Festival for several decades,  is finally retiring, having left her mark on the arts sector in searching for international acts that have allowed New Zealanders to see the most important artists and arts companies in the world.

Ms van Zorn was asked what will be the most exciting works she is looking forward to in the festival and replied: Pasio, Cellfish and RICE.

“Many years ago Jack Body asked me to present Passio, a unique work that has only ever had one performance before. The opportunity never arose to present it, so I was determined, for my last festival, to honour Jack and all New Zealand composers by presenting this extraordinary unique work that spans centuries, specifically from 1500 to 2006. It started with the earliest surviving polyphonic setting of St Matthew’s Passion by composer by Richard Davey, to a re-contextualization by six New Zealand composers. Performed by Voices NZ and the Auckland Chamber Choir, and conducted by Peter Scholes, the presentation of Passio is a labour of love. It is a risk and difficult without Jack, especially as it’s performed almost in the round and audience are encouraged to move amongst the musicians but I know that Jack would be delighted with the way we are presenting the work.”

“Cellfish is an important new theatre work by Miriama McDowell, Rob Mokoraka and Jason Te Kare. Last festival, they showed scenes as part of our RAW season (shows in development). My team and I were all very taken with the work – it has a lot to say but does it with aroha and humour.  Like many events in the festival, it takes a look at our world and society but it is done as like a film noir thriller. This is a must-see New Zealand work.”

“I have admired Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan and its visionary leader Lin Hwai-Min for many years. I have attended performances, workshops and heard Mr Lin speak and, each time, I am mesmerised by his vision of our world and his ability to bring together the past with the present and future. I think we can learn a lot by looking at our own parallels. With RICE we are submerged in the world of nature and we see that we are part of this world. The seasons change and time passes but we must look after our world for the future. This is a world-class dance company whose dancers are truly extraordinary completely, performing immersed in a film of the rice paddies filmed over the period of a year. “