Friday 16 October 2026

Photos courtesy of the SSO.

Review by Paul Neeson (Arts Wednesday)

When both Tchaikovsky and Beethoven headline the bill, you can guarantee a full house. And that is what we witnessed at the Sydney Symphony Orchestra’s concert last night at the Sydney Opera House. There wasn’t an empty seat in the hall.

Principle Guest Conductor, Sir Donald Runnicles conducted the SSO in a program featuring these two grand masters of the symphonic repertoire, but the opening piece was an unexpected gem from a composer who is new to me – Bulgarian-born, Dobrinka Tabakova. Her 2017 composition, Orpheus’ Comet, was 5 minutes of orchestral wonder and brilliance. It began with much understated business in the brass, a buzzing like bees as she explained in the program notes. The horns were working subtly but frantically, building the granules of the said comet with sparkling accents until the majesty of the full comet became evident in a slow stately melody from the low and then upper strings. The melody was borrowed from the world’s first opera, Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo, hence the title of the work. The wondrous trajectory of the comet was fully revealed in the glorious conclusion. Thank you Maestro Runnicles for bringing this composer and her delightful work to our attention.

Next Tchaikovsky was represented by his Violin Concerto with soloist petit powerhouse, Bomsori Kim. Her technical skill was evident from the first note, as was her rich warm tones in the lower register. The opening movement of the concerto requires incredible skill which she clearly had in spades. Her ultra-high harmonics were clear and incisive, her double stopping flawless to the point where we thought we were hearing two or three violins at once. But when we got to the slow Andante 2nd movement, the magic really happened. Kim played the first theme which was echoed by the flute (Emma Scholl). Suddenly the connection between soloist and orchestra was cemented. The subsequent arpeggios in the clarinet (Olli Leppäniemi) visibly moved Kim as she leant in to listen. From this point on, the emotional level was raised to maximum. Tchaikovsky’s fluctuation between yearning and exuberance tugged at our hearts. Then in the finale, Kim in her deserved confidence spurred the orchestra to new heights. The allegro temp she set could not have been any more vivacissimo. What a ride. We were on the edge of our seats holding our collective breaths.

The applause (which had spontaneously erupted initially after the first movement) was thunderous. After several curtain calls she provided us with a masterclass for an encore – Fritz Kreisler’s Schon Rosmarin (Fair Rosemary) from his old Viennese Dance Tunes Suite. Again the double stopping held us in awe. How can one violin produce that beautiful melody while simultaneously accompanying and answering itself? Let’s hope she returns soon to the Opera House.

Time for a confession. Beethoven’s 7th is one of my favourite symphonies. I conducted it regularly as a precocious 7 year old much to the delight of my parents (and the annoyance of my siblings who couldn’t wait to get Joni Mitchell or Miles Davis on the turntable). Beethoven’s genius is evident from the opening movement with those simple ascending major scales whose ultra-musicality belie their simplicity. The seamless way connecting melodic lines flow from solo winds, to brass to strings creating a unified masterpiece. Runnicles managed the orchestra with minimal interference. This band knows the work inside out, and while keeping them on the track, he often loosened the reigns and let them gallop like the thoroughbred champion they are.

Symphony concerts don’t get much better than this. Two great works from two of the all-time greats, a world-class soloist and a fresh new work (to our ears) to top it off. Hats off to Maestro Runnicles and our wonderful, fabulous, beloved SSO.

Posted in: ARTS WEDNESDAY, Program Blogs, Reviews