Outstanding artists for this Wellington subscription series

Two outstanding guest conductors will be directing the NZBC Symphony Orchestra along with resident conductor Juan Matteucci for the 1967 Wellington subscription series concerts.

Alceo Galliera and Walter Susskind and eight distinguished international soloists should make it a satisfying season for Wellington, as the programmes cover a wide variety of works, established favourites being interspersed with those new to the concert-goer.

Five of the soloists are making return visits to this country—Abbey Simon, Nelli Schkolnikova, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Zvi Zeitlin and Gary Graffman. Alceo Galliera conducted the Orchestra here in 1961.

Solo artists for the series give the season an international flavour, while New Zealand artists feature in three of the 12 concerts. The Orpheus Choir will be repeating their successful performance of Carmina Burana and will also feature in Beethoven's Choral Symphony, along with four of New Zealand's leading soloists.

During the season the Orchestra will present a number of works fresh to Wellington. The Shostakovich Symphony No. 12 will be premiered under Galliera and the series includes two works that were played in Wellington only last year for the first time—Stravinsky's Rite Of Spring and the secular cantata Carmina Burana.

Lilburn's Symphony No. 3 and Jenny McLeod's Cambridge Suite are also featured. Prokofiev's works will be given prominence in the series, one of the highlights being the first public performance of his Violin Concerto No. 2.