2017 Concert Series Elijah | Page 14

UWE GRODD conductor Uwe Grodd’s contributions to classical music have brought him considerable international acclaim as conductor, flautist, editor and teacher. To date, he has made world premiere recordings of more than 70 works of 18th and early 19th century music. Three of these masses and 19 symphonies have not been heard since the 18th century. In 1997 he joined Naxos Records as an exclusive artist, a partnership which has allowed him to reintroduce the oeuvres of many undervalued or forgotten composers. Uwe Grodd initially gained worldwide attention when awarded First Prize at the Cannes Classical Awards 2000 for Best 18th Century Orchestral Recording for his CD of Vanhal Symphonies on which he conducted Hungary’s Nicolaus Esterházy Sinfonia. Last year, Grodd received the coveted International Record Review Outstanding Industry award following his recording of Ferdinand Ries’ Complete Works for Piano and Orchestra, featuring the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Bournemouth Symphony, the Gaevle and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. Uwe Grodd recently recorded his new editions of Hummel’s arrangements of Mozart’s last six symphonies for flute, violin, cello and piano. With their generous suggestions for phrasing, articulation, dynamics and, most importantly, metronome markings for tempo, they offer an intricate insight into how Mozart’s most prominent student shaped these masterworks. Recent performance highlights include eight concerts with the Mexico City Philharmonic and the final concerts of the 53rd and the 54th Handel Festival in Halle, Germany. This involved a combined choir of 280 and the Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Halle. He also conducted sell-out seasons of Handel’s recently rediscovered opera Imeneo in the Halle Opera House, and was awarded the Badge of Honour for his services to the Handel Festival and the City of Halle. Uwe Grodd is equally committed to the music of his own time, playing a pivotal role in commissioning more than 50 works from New Zealand composers. He conducted the premiere season of the multi-media opera Galileo, with music by John Rimmer and libretto by Witi Ihimaera, and, in 2012, was Artistic Director of Len Lye the opera, with music by Eve de Castro-Robinson and libretto by Roger Horrocks. He was invited to become Music Director of the Auckland Choral Society, New Zealand’s longest-established symphonic choir, in 2008. Uwe Grodd is a professor at the University of Auckland’s School of Music. 14