Melbourne Symphony Orchestra

Australian Chamber Orchestra’s Satu Vänskä joins QSO Chief Conductor Umberto Clerici for a wonderful program that sees the MSO performing music of child prodigy Felix Mendelssohn alongside that of the (then) living legend he looked up to: the great Ludwig van Beethoven.

Rossini wrote his comic opera La Scala di Seta (The Silken Ladder) at just 20 years of age – it’s sparkling overture is now what it is most known for.

The terrifying tale of Beethoven’s Violin Concerto is the manifestation of many-a-musician’s nightmares. If the fact that it was written in a just a few rushed weeks wasn’t bad enough, the violinist engaged for the premiere was so unprepared that he was forced to sight-read much of it during the concert. With its lyrical lines and effervescent display of the violin’s capabilities, however, Beethoven’s only work for violin and orchestra (thankfully) survived its origin story, and is now considered one of the best in the repertoire.

Inspired by the ruins of the Palace of Holyrood, Mendelssohn’s Scottish Symphony evokes a musical restoration of the castle and its stories of love, war, betrayal, and murder. Bursting with intrigue, this symphony paints a sonic picture of pale Scottish light casting shadows on centuries-old, moss-covered stone.