CSO comes home to Llewellyn Hall for Tchaikovsky, Beethoven

Posted on 23 November, 2020

It’s been a long eight months since musicians of the Canberra Symphony Orchestra last assembled on the Llewellyn Hall stage.

The last time was back in March, when the orchestra recorded Camille Saint-Saens’ Organ Symphony without an audience after its opening mainstage concert was scuttled.

This week, the Canberra Symphony Orchestra (CSO) makes its long-awaited return Llewellyn Hall, with triumphant comeback concerts on Wednesday and Thursday.

While the lockdown saw CSO explore a range of innovative, digital projects—most notably, commissioning 15 Australian composers to write new, solo works for online premiere—the return to the mainstage is an important milestone for the players.

It’s also the CSO debut for Brisbane-based Simon Hewett, who joins the CSO as Principal Guest Conductor from 2021.

Performances will open with Matthew Hindson’s The stars above us all, written to honour the “unrelenting devotion” of the parents of children with complex health challenges.

Then, acclaimed cellist and Canberra export Julian Smiles will join the CSO onstage to perform Tchaikovsky’s intricate Rococo Variations.

Julian Smiles. Credit: Keith Saunders.

The centrepiece of the program is Beethoven’s soaring Symphony No. 7, a fitting tribute in the composer’s 250th anniversary year.

Rehearsals began over the weekend; despite the time apart, Concertmaster Kirsten Williams says the orchestra is more than ready for a memorable week.

“It was truly fantastic for us all to be back on stage again at our first rehearsal,” Williams said. “These are musicians of a very high calibre—really, it was of no surprise to me that the orchestra worked together with great synergy and unity, even after so much time apart.”

In line with COVID-safe guidelines, audiences will be capped at 50 per cent of the Hall’s capacity, with only every second seat sold.

Feature image: Lindi Heap