Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Written in 2008, Louise Webster’s ‘Proof Against Burning’ looks at the treatment of women imprisoned during the period of witchcraft trials in the 15th, 16th, and 17th Century. The work is structured as four movements, each representing a different kind of trial used to determine or disprove whether someone is in fact a witch. While somewhat contemporary in sound, this intriguing work contains moments of beauty emerging from the tension of dense orchestral textures and heavy subject matter. The winds and brass, while reduced in numbers, take a leading role in providing colourful melodic material amidst dramatic gestures from the percussion, and rich textures from the strings.
00:00 - I. Cauldron and stone
02:59 - II. Floating on water
07:53 - III. Spectral evidence
10:12 - IV. Ordeal of the Cross
Performed by the Auckland Philharmonia, conductor Pierre Bleuse at the Auckland Town Hall, 16 October 2025. Audio recorded by RNZ Concert - producer Emre Ekici, engineer Adrian Hollay. Filmed and edited for SOUNZ by Chris Watson. Film funded by NZ On Air.
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Learn more about the composers and performers of music from Aotearoa New Zealand on our website (sounz.org.nz), or by following us on Facebook (@SOUNZnz), Instagram (@sounz_nz), or TikTok (@sounz_nz).
#nzmusic
Written in 2008, Louise Webster’s ‘Proof Against Burning’ looks at the treatment of women imprisoned during the period of witchcraft trials in the 15th, 16th, and 17th Century. The work is structured as four movements, each representing a different kind of trial used to determine or disprove whether someone is in fact a witch. While somewhat contemporary in sound, this intriguing work contains moments of beauty emerging from the tension of dense orchestral textures and heavy subject matter. The winds and brass, while reduced in numbers, take a leading role in providing colourful melodic material amidst dramatic gestures from the percussion, and rich textures from the strings.
00:00 - I. Cauldron and stone
02:59 - II. Floating on water
07:53 - III. Spectral evidence
10:12 - IV. Ordeal of the Cross
Performed by the Auckland Philharmonia, conductor Pierre Bleuse at the Auckland Town Hall, 16 October 2025. Audio recorded by RNZ Concert - producer Emre Ekici, engineer Adrian Hollay. Filmed and edited for SOUNZ by Chris Watson. Film funded by NZ On Air.
--
Learn more about the composers and performers of music from Aotearoa New Zealand on our website (sounz.org.nz), or by following us on Facebook (@SOUNZnz), Instagram (@sounz_nz), or TikTok (@sounz_nz).
#nzmusic
