What an incredible week it has been in festival world. It is so wonderful to finally be able to see the ideas and experiences that have been sitting in my head come to life.
It is only when artists and audiences encounter each other that the festival becomes real. The Big Bang concert which opened the festival was such a great example of this; Wellingtonians came out in droves and as I looked across the square to see such a diverse range of people grooving together and giving their whole- hearted support to the 450-odd performers, my heart swelled. Bob Marley’s One Love couldn’t have been a more appropriate ending to the concert and a great way to begin the festival – with real heart.
The week went on to provide rich experiences, from the mysterious journey provided in the free participatory event Our Broken Voice to an explosion of energy on stage in Deca Dance. The small controversy we experienced early in the week about which artists we bring to the festival reminded me how important artistic freedom is and how important it is that we preserve a space in society which can explore both the good things and the bad things of human existence in a non-confrontational way. It is only in doing so that we might come to understand what the way forward can be. Is art political Yes, I believe so, but we need to remember that politics is not only about conflict, politics is also about finding ways to co-exist in peace.
The weekend saw one of the most strangely exhilarating pieces of theatre, from the imagination of Russian director Dmitry Krymov. Someone said to me that his production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream (As You Like It) is the “must-see” of the festival. I know a lot of you wait for the reviews and for word-of-mouth recommendations to decide what to do.
But last week featured two one- off performances and I hope you went. Ainadamar, a semi-staged opera, had been in rehearsal for several days and was sounding and looking stunning.
The cast are extraordinary and the music made me remember what is so special about the operatic form – such a sense of drama and tension within the score.
The Bach Collegium of Japan are now here and will perform one of history’s most sublime pieces of music. The transcendent quality of Bach’s St John Passion is pure genius and this is a rare chance to see it performed by a group recognised the world over for this production.
Also now on is Power Plant. Scores of people worked very long hours in the Botanic Gardens last week putting together something that is quite magical.
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I know that people will come away with their memories of the Botanic Gardens changed forever.
Shelagh Magadza is artistic director of the New Zealand Festival. Her Director’s Chair column will appear during the festival.
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