In a special collaboration between musical co-director Virginie Pacheco and poet Hinemoana Baker, Supertonic will perform Southerly Love: Poetry and Music for Stormy Weather in the stunning surrounds of Wellington Cathedral of St Paul on Saturday 23 May. This one-night concert will also feature a reprisal of Briar Prastiti’s Te Matapi’i from the recent reopening of Wellington’s central library.
Wellingtonians have a love-hate relationship with the city's wild weather and te hau tonga o Tāwhirimātea. But many things can blow metaphorically through our lives like an icy wind. Some of these things bring pain, some bring wonder. In conversation with original text by Baker, Pacheco's musical programme explores themes of comfort and solace, dark and light, and what remains when so much changes. Southerly Love opens with Ily Matthew Maniano's prize-winning Amihan – a Filipino word referring to the northeast monsoon. The programme also includes the ethereal Stars by Latvian composer Ēriks Ešenvalds, the rhythmic Nouse Lauluni by Soila Sariola, sung in Finnish, and the thrilling Daemon Irrepit Callidus by György Orbá.
In the concert’s first half, Supertonic will present a very exciting opportunity to hear Te Matapi’i by Briar Prastiti. This work has only been performed once since it was commissioned by the Wellington City Council to celebrate the reopening of Te Matapihi ki te Ao Nui Central Library. Thousands of Wellingtonians queued on the morning of 14 March to get their first glimpse of their beloved central library since 2019, and only the first few hundred entrants got the chance to hear Te Matapi’i. Supertonic was proud to contribute as one of the eight local choirs, and we are thrilled to be able to perform this piece once again. Along with Alistair Fraser on taonga pūoro, Prastiti will reprise her solo vocals.
Set in the luscious acoustics of Wellington Cathedral, Southerly Love offers a connection with multiple performers and creatives of Aotearoa alongside the glorious sound of a 50-voice choir. Join us for a unique, cozy and heartwarming evening that could only happen in our wonderful, windy city.
