This playlist brings you highlights from the Tāmaki Pātaka Kōrero | Central City Library 'Notes of Tāmaki Auckland Libraries Heritage Concert Series'.

To find out more about this series check out our Auckland Libraries Website for upcoming events or email the researchengagmentteam@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz

Notes On Tāmaki Concert Series

On Thursday 26 June 2025, Tāmaki Pātaka Kōrero | Central City Library presented The Kotuku Quintet in a special concert: From Mozart to Matariki

The programme was based on a Mozart piano concerto and drew on inspiration from the celebration of Matariki in a brand new work by pianist and composer Louise Webster.

Piano concerto no. 13 in C, KV 415 W.A. Mozart
Allegro ; Andante ; Rondeau: Allegro
Mozart’s Piano concerto in C KV 415 was written in Vienna in 1782, one of three composed for sale to the Viennese public by advance subscription. A major selling point was that they were composed not only for concert use but also for performance at home, as the wind parts were not structurally important and could easily be dispensed with. The concerto is in three movements. The opening Allegro has a march-like theme, the Andante is lyrical and operatic in character, and the work ends with a Rondeau finale, where jovial sections alternate with a pair of pathos-laden Adagios.

Phantasy for Piano Quartet in F# minor Frank Bridge
The Phantasy for Piano Quartet was written in 1910, and is one of Bridge
s most characterful early works, showing the influence of Brahms and French Romanticisim. All the musical ideas spring from the passionate opening flourish. There are three main sections. The first, Andante con moto , flows with Gallic grace, rather like a Barcarolle. A scherzo, Allegro vivace , follows, with a contrasting song song-like trio section that looks back to the opening ideas. A short recitative recitative-like passage then leads back to a reprise of the opening themes. The music moves into an impassioned climax before dying away to what Benjamin Britten described as a short coda which suggests the deep red afterglow of a sunset

Lastly the feature piece - The paths of the sisters (2025)
Louise Webster
This work was commissioned by Ngā Pātaka Korero o Tamaki Makaurau for the celebration of Matariki. The title of the work 'following the paths of the sisters' refers to the Matariki constellation, welcoming the growth of the year to come. The stars are known as Matariki in Aotearoa and the Pleiades (the seven sisters) in the North. In many cultures the stars are viewed as a group of sisters, often accompanied by other family members. "While writing this work I thought of my for-bears, travelling by sea in 1839 from Caithness in the North of Scotland to Aotearoa, following the Matariki stars which remained a constant while all else changed" Louise Webster - composer.

The Kotuku Quintet are: Simon Ansell (violin), John Seager (violin), Judith Gust (viola), Sally-Anne Brown (cello), and Louise Webster (piano).

The Kotuku Quintet - Mozart to Matariki

Join Marilyn Portman in conversation with Sue Berman on the history of musical concerts at the Auckland City Central Library. In this interview she shares the story behind the foundation of the regular concert series, its many different iterations, and shares some favourite moments across her long career as a music librarian.

For more images and to read more about the concerts check out our Heritage et AL blog https://heritageetal.blogspot.com/2025/09/celebrating-twenty-years-of-heritage.html

Image: Photo by Benjamin Brooking taken for the Ngako: Musical Manuscripts recording 2022.

Marilyn Portman - on celebrating music in the library

Welcome to Ngā Pātaka Kōrero Auckland Libraries podcast page! Catch up on author talks, events and concerts, and hear more in-depth commentary from the curatorial team behind our taonga treasured collections and exhibitions.

Marilyn Portman - on celebrating music in the library

Ngā Pātaka Kōrero - Auckland Libraries