Warwick Braithwaite - Fragment

Jian Liu, piano Warwick Braithwaite was born in Dunedin, one of the youngest children in a large family. Warwick left New Zealand in 1915 to study music in London at the Royal Academy and later became a highly respected opera conductor and repetiteur. He was particularly known for his Puccini interpretations. He was Principal Conductor of the Scottish Orchestra, a conductor at Sadler’s Wells, Covent Garden and Music Director of Welsh National Opera. He became the first conductor of the BBC Wales Orchestra, and later became the third Music Director of the New Zealand National Orchestra in 1954. He composed throughout his life, and some of his orchestral pieces were played in New Zealand. Many were inspired by New Zealand stories, such as the tone poem Hinemoa. The Fragment is a short lyrical piece to promote the development of delicate balance between the singing melodic line and its harmonic accompaniment.