Archived event
Performance details
Thursday 2 November 2023 at 7.30pm
Melbourne Town Hall
Friday 3 November 2023 at 7.30pm
Robert Blackwood Hall
Featuring
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
Benjamin Northey conductor
Berta Brozgul piano
Program
Sculthorpe Kakadu
Bartók Piano Concerto No.3
Beethoven Symphony No.6 Pastoral
About this performance*
A brilliant concert for newcomers and classical buffs alike, Benjamin Northey conducts this program featuring an evocative depiction of the Australian landscape, an energetic romp through the countryside with Beethoven, and the extraordinary talent of pianist Berta Brozgul. Join us to commemorate Ben’s 20th consecutive year of conducting the MSO at this celebratory performance!
- Peter Sculthorpe's Kakadu takes its name from the National Park in the Northern Territory. In the composer's words, the work "is concerned with my feelings about this place, its landscape, its change of seasons, its dry season and its wet, its cycle of life and death."
- Berta Brozgul takes on the solo role for Bartók's lyrical Third Piano Concerto. Composed at the end of his life as a gift for his wife, Bartók infused the work with Hungarian folk rhythm and themes.
- Beethoven’s Sixth Symphony – known as the Pastoral Symphony – is one of the few works by the composer with a ‘programmatic’ element, with the music representing depictions of nature such as bird calls and a thunderstorm. Ben Northey made his MSO debut conducting this work in 2003, making it the perfect piece to celebrate his long relationship with the Orchestra.
Duration: approx. 2 hours including interval
*Please note: due to unforeseen circumstances, the originally scheduled soloist and program for these performances have changed.
This year, we congratulate MSO Principal Conductor in Residence, Ben Northey, on 20 years conducting the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.
