Performances have sense of city pride

DSO: Bridget and a French Connection King’s and Queen’s Performing Arts Centre, Sunday, April 19 2026

The Dunedin Symphony Orchestra began its 60th birthday celebrations with two performances at the King’s and Queen’s Performing Arts Centre over the weekend.

The performances had a sense of Dunedin pride about them, as both conductor and soloist have strong Dunedin orchestral links.

There is no substitute for experience, and Conductor Emeritus Nicholas Braithwaite has that in buckets. He has extraordinary international experience and was guest conductor of the now Dunedin Symphony Orchestra for 10 years.

Yesterday afternoon, Braithwaite guided the orchestra through the programme with esprit, and the players responded with clarity and attention to detail.

Flute soloist Bridget Douglas grew up in Dunedin and is a graduate of the University of Otago. Her versatility as a flautist is immediately appealing — she is versatile and nimble, and plays with commensurable personality.

The programme opened with Wagner’s Siegfried Idyll.

Braithwaite ensured a perfect balance between each orchestral part, and encouraged the orchestra to explore the emotional and dynamic depths of Wagner’s writing. A feature was the excellence of the woodwind playing.

Unusually, there followed two works for flute — Poulenc, arranged Berkeley, Flute Sonata and Arnold, Flute Concerto No 1.

In both works Douglas played with charisma and, from the first confident flourish in the Poulenc, she showed she had excellent rapport at all times with the conductor and was rhythmically astute.

The Presto giocoso revealed the soloist’s ebullient personality. In the Arnold the solo flute was accompanied by strings only, and allowed Douglas’ impeccable intonation and immaculate breath management to shine through the assured orchestral playing.

The orchestra shone in all four differing movements of Haydn’s Symphony No 88 in G Major. The majestic chordal opening ushered in a variety of emotions and orchestral colours. The limpid quality achieved in the second movement Largo was quite arresting.

Bravo Dunedin Symphony Orchestra! This was a lively concert. Here’s to the next 60th birthday celebration.

- Review by Judy Bellingham