Beethoven and Mendelssohn - Melbourne Town Hall

Australian Chamber Orchestra’s Principal Violin Satu Vänskä has an international reputation for exceptional musicianship and innovative collaborations.

She joins QSO Chief Conductor Umberto Clerici for a program that sees the MSO performing music of child prodigy Felix Mendelssohn alongside that of the 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 – its sparkling overture is now what the opera is most known for.

• A work ahead of its time, Beethoven's Violin Concerto redefined the relationship between the orchestra and soloist. Rarely performed until Mendelssohn conducted it nearly 40 years after it was composed, it is now considered one of the most important concertos in the repertoire. The exceptionally talented Satu Vänskä brings powerful lyricism to this trailblazing work, fully exploiting the brilliant sound of the 300-year-old Stradivarius violin on which she'll perform.

• 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.

Duration: approx. 2 hours including interval