French elegance, Japanese stillness and universal, tangible beauty.

Acclaimed conductor Nodoka Okisawa makes her TSO debut in this French-themed concert with a Japanese twist.

TSO Principal Cello Jonathan Békés stars in Saint-Saëns’ Cello Concerto No 1, a work of lyrical beauty and virtuosic br...

If anyone can capture the magic of Grieg’s music, it’s Eivind Aadland. The Norwegian conductor – who was born in Bergen, Grieg’s birthplace and the city where he lived and worked – has recorded all of Grieg’s symphonic works. So we can’t think of anyone better to present these vivid orchestral mi...

A joyful orchestral celebration

A symphony filled with warmth, optimism, and a sense of hope, just like the season it’s named after.

In writing his Symphony No 1, Robert Schumann (1810-1856) was inspired by a poem about spring by Adolf Böttger, which paints a picture of nature waking up after a...

Resilient and radiant.

Symphony No 2 in C, Op 61
- Sostenuto assai – Allegro ma non troppo
- Scherzo: Allegro vivace
- Adagio espressivo
- Allegro molto vivace
Composed by Robert Schumann (1810 – 1856)
42 minutes

Robert Schumann’s second symphony is a work of strength, beauty and determination....

A Curious Debut

Up and coming Australian composer Georgia Scott makes her TSO debut with her piece Cabinet of Curiosities. Sydney-born composer Georgia, uses music to explore complex themes beyond language, often focusing on identity and lived experience. She studied at the Royal College of Musi...

Recorded on Friday 1 March 2025 7:30pm

PROGRAM
Brahms Hungarian Dance No 1

MUSICIANS
Conductor Eivind Aadland
Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra

Federation Concert Hall, Nipaluna / Hobart

A thrilling ride.

Rossini’s William Tell Overture is one of the most famous pieces of classical music ever written. Even if you don’t recognise the name, you’ve probably heard the music – especially the final section, which has appeared in countless films, TV shows, and cartoons (most famously a...

From its opening horn fanfare to ecstatic, triumphant close, Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony is one of the most brilliant and colourful of all symphonies. Dedicated to Tchaikovsky’s key supporter and patron, Nadezhda von Meck, the Fourth spirals through dreaminess, melancholy and sweetness.

Eivind...

Elegant and lively

Gounod’s Ballet Music from Faust is a suite of seven dances added to his opera Faust in 1869 for its production at the Paris Opera. These movements, though not essential to the opera’s plot, showcase Gounod’s gift for melody, orchestral color, and dance-like elegance. The sui...

Klokkeklang (Bellringing) is an orchestration of a work that was originally part of the Lyric Pieces for solo piano.

PROGRAM
GRIEG Klokkeklang (Bellringing), Op 54, No 6 (7’)
Composed by Edvard Grieg (1843-1907)

MUSICIANS
Eivind Aadland Conductor

26 August 2022
Federation Concert Hall, Nipal...

Light. Graceful. Joyful.

When Franz Schubert wrote his Fifth Symphony in 1816, he was just 19 years old. He was still working as a schoolteacher, composing in his spare time, and gathering friends to play through his music in small rooms and private homes. This symphony grew out of that world. I...

Eerie and playful

Camille Saint-Saëns’ Danse macabre is a thrilling and spooky orchestral piece that brings to life an old legend about Death leading a ghostly dance at midnight. Written in 1874, this tone poem is based on a French superstition that every year on Halloween night, Death appears a...

Pathos & Exhilaration

Dvořák’s Symphony No 7 is unique because it blends his national pride and love of Czech folk music with a more universal, serious symphonic style. It’s as if he’s speaking both as a Czech patriot and as a composer with a message for the world. Dvořák wrote this symphony du...

Star-crossed lovers

We start our evening with The Walk to the Paradise Garden; an atmospheric piece, full of emotion and imagery. It’s from the opera A Village Romeo and Juliet, but you don’t need to know the whole story to enjoy it. ). As the title of the opera suggests, the plot centres around...

Mendelssohn’s final concerto. His heart’s last jewel.

Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E minor was a success from its premiere, despite features that would have made it quite unconventional in its day. Instead of a full orchestral introduction before the entrance of the soloist, the violinist j...

Pure, ecstatic love

Originally, Daphnis et Chloé was a full ballet written by the French composer Maurice Ravel in 1912. It's based on an ancient Greek love story – think shepherds, nymphs, and a little bit of magic.

But you don’t need to know the full ballet to enjoy it, because Ravel pulled o...

Flirty, fiery, a little reckless…

Don Juan is an exciting, dramatic piece of music written by Richard Strauss in 1888, when he was just 24 years old. It’s a tone poem (a type of orchestral music that tells a story purely through instruments) based on the story of Don Juan, one of the most famous...

A hypnotic slow burn

This is perhaps one of the most instantly recognisable pieces in classical music. You might have heard it anywhere from Torvill and Dean skating to it at the 1984 Winter Olympics, to Baz Luhrman’s 2001 film Moulin Rouge, or even used to comedic effect on Saturday Night Live....

Rustic. Playful. Magical.

In Autumn, Op 11
Composed by Edvard Grieg (1843–1907)
11 minutes

Edvard Grieg’s In Autumn, Op. 11, is a vivid and spirited concert overture that captures the changing moods of the season. Written in 1865 when Grieg was in his early twenties, it shows the young Norwegi...

Symphony No 2 in D, Op 73
Allegro ma non troppo
Adagio ma non troppo
Allegretto grazioso (quasi andantino)
Allegro con spirito
Composed by Johannes Brahms (1833–1897)
43 minutes

Johannes Brahms composed his Symphony No 2 in D during the summer of 1877, in the peaceful surroundings of Pörtschac...

Harry Sdraulig’s Icarus was written in 2019 for Lloyd Hudson and the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra. In this work, Sdraulig draws inspiration from the ancient Greek myth of the boy who flew too close to the sun. Using the full colour and power of the orchestra, and the unique tone colours of the pi...

An award-winning short film featuring the TSO performing music by Hungarian composer by Béla Bartók.

This 8-minute art film by acclaimed cinematographer Joe Shemesh, pairing evocative music with stunning imagery of the Tasmanian landscape.

It has featured in Palace cinemas and other independent...

Ever wondered what goes on at the TSO when the stage lights are off?
It turns out the orchestra is busier than you’d ever imagine!

Join CEO Caroline Sharpen for a fun behind the scenes adventure as she explores a week in the life of the TSO - from buzzing office spaces to backstage secrets. You’...

Join TSO Principal Cello Jonathan Békés as he travels to Flinders Island to meet Heidi and Davia John. Watch as they embark on a fun journey of learning and playing the cello - a story full of music, discovery, and a love for the cello!

Executive Producer
Dave Flower

Director of Photography
...