Archived event
Performance details
16 June 2022 at 7.30pm
Melbourne Town Hall
17 June 2022 at 7.30pm
Costa Hall, Geelong
Featuring
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
Benjamin Bayl conductor
Tair Khisambeev violin
David Berlin cello
Michael Pisani oboe
Jack Schiller bassoon
Program
Louise Farrenc Overture No.2
Haydn Sinfonia Concertante
Rameau Zoroastre (excerpts)
Schubert Symphony No.3
About this performance
The MSO is joined by conductor and early music specialist Benjamin Bayl for a sparkling program of classical and classically-minded works.
- Rameau’s Zoroastre follows the story of a Persian priest who lived during sixth-century BCE. The opera was not initially a hit with audiences, but a rewritten version which premiered in 1756 was a great success. Critics praised Rameau’s elegant orchestration and richly detailed instrumental voicings.
- Haydn’s Sinfonia Concertante remains the only example of the genre composed over his prolific career. A sinfonia concertante shares characteristics with a concerto, but incorporates multiple soloists – here drawn from MSO musicians – into the orchestral texture. Haydn deftly contrasts the high and low sonorities of a violin, cello, oboe and bassoon in a characteristically bright and animated work.
- Louise Farrenc broke many barriers in her lifetime: she was the first woman professor of piano at the Paris Conservatoire, a role she held for thirty years. The concert overture was a popular genre in the nineteenth century, inspired by the drama and spectacle of Grand Opera in Paris.
- Schubert’s Third Symphony was written when the composer was only eighteen and working full time as a teacher. The lively rhythms and spirited melodies reveal a clear debt to Mozart, Haydn and Rossini.
Duration: approx. 105 minutes including interval
