The SSO @ The Opera House
Dates for your diary from the Sydney Symphony…
James Morrison at the Movies
18, 19 February, Sydney Opera House Concert Hall
Grab your popcorn and your choc-top –jazzman James Morrison is taking the Sydney Symphony to the movies in this exciting program. The trumpet takes the spotlight in a ‘Satchmo’ bracket, there’s music to make you smile in Charlie Chaplin’s Modern Times, and the smooth themes from the movies that made James Bond a household name. John Williams brought the sound of the orchestra to the world of the science fiction movie with his spectacular orchestral score for Star Wars. And classical music itself starred in 2001: A Space Odyssey, when Stanley Kubrick lifted the stunning opening moment of Richard Strauss’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra.
Tickets from $35
Peer Gynt: Ashkenazy Conducts
23, 25, 26 February, Sydney Opera House Concert Hall
You’ll recognise the fearsome climaxes in The Hall of the Mountain King, and the floating serenity of Morning Mood. These are two of Grieg’s most famous themes. But what about the story from which they come: Peer Gynt? Vladimir Ashkenazy begins the year with a musical masterpiece that has its origins in the emotion and drama of the theatre. Grieg’s complete music for Ibsen’s play Peer Gynt will be brought to life in the concert hall with Star Trek legend John de Lancie supplying a narrative to weave the music together.
Tickets from $35
Mahler 6: Hammerblow of Fate
3, 4, 5 March, Sydney Opera House Concert Hall
Mahler’s Sixth Symphony begins with a sinister march – its pounding steps set the stage for a tragic and intensely moving creation. This is music by a composer obsessed with fate, and it spills over with passion and fierce emotions – every feeling coming directly from the heart. Also on the program is Liszt’s second piano concerto, in the hands of French pianist Jean-Efflam Bavouzet who is known for the elegance and clarity in his playing. More than a virtuoso showpiece, this is a concerto that’s full of poetry and brilliant contrasts. Vladimir Ashkenazy conducts.
Tickets from $35
Jean-Efflam Bavouzet in recital
7 March, City Recital Hall, Angel Place
This recital begins with one of Beethoven’s most popular sonatas and ends with a monumental concert piece by Liszt – its difficulty and emotional range suggested by the fact that the composer later arranged it for two pianos as “Concerto Pathetique”. At the heart of this program is an evocation of the moon. Debussy sets the scene with his famous Clair de lune before introducing ruined temples, mysterious watchers gathered in contemplation of the beauty of the night, and – in his ballet Jeux – a nocturnal game of tennis. And Wagner’s transcendent music from Tristan und Isolde tenderly summons the oblivion that can be found only in the “realm of night”.
Tickets from $35
