ANTHONY RITCHIE
"Anthony Ritchie's marvellous Second String Quartet is merely one of a growing number of NZ works which is triumphantly fulfilling Douglas Lilburn's dictum regarding the need for having "a music of our own."
Here was a work that engaged the listener in responses to sounds that ranged across the full gamut of imagination, right from the work's arresting opening."
- Peter Mechen | Radio NZ Concert.
John & Anthony Ritchie with the NZSQ; Marama Hall, October 5 2011
CAROLS FOR ORCHESTRA
Anthony's new arrangements of Christmas carols were performed by the NZ Symphony Orchestra during their North Island and Heartland tours in December. With a part for solo singer, these witty carol arrangements allow plenty of opportunity for the audience to join in and sing.
NEW CD A BUGLE WILL DO
Anthony’s latest CD 'A Bugle Will Do' has just been released by Atoll Records, and features Symphony No.3 and three other compositions recorded by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra under maestro Tecwyn Evans. Winner of The Supreme Achievement Award by The Listener in 2010, Symphony No.3 is in the words of Marion Poole "…compelling, rhythmically dynamic and unashamedly honest".
The symphony appears on disk for the first time, along with works that the NZSO has commissioned from Anthony over a 15 year period: A Bugle Will Do, an overture dedicated to war hero Sir Charles Upham, French Overture, an evocation of life in Paris, and Revelations, an exploration of life after death. The linking thread for all these works is emotion - the listener is taken on an exciting and moving journey, with music that delves into what it is to be human. New Zealand's leading orchestra makes a superb job of these works, under the expert guidance of internationally acclaimed and Dunedin-born conductor, Tecwyn Evans.
Premiere of 'Dedication to DAD!' at John Ritchie's 90th Celebration; CBS Arena, Nov. 24 2011
NEW CD OCTOPUS
A new CD of Anthony's recent chamber music has been released by Atoll Records, performed by members of the NZ Symphony Orchestra. 'Octopus' takes its title from the Octet written for The Amici Ensemble, and is one of three programmatic pieces on the album. The CD has received favourable reviews.
"Taken as a whole, I think this is the most completely successful single disc of those devoted to the music of Anthony Ritchie - partly to do with the quality of the performances, but I think also a matter of the works chosen for the CD. In particular, I'm enormously impressed by Ritchie's Second String Quartet, a genuinely powerful addition to the repertoire for that ensemble."
- Robert Johnson | Radio NZ Concert.
To order this CD click on 'Recordings' above.