Classical Music from WASO

Beethoven’s audacious choral masterpiece pits belief and doubt in a battle for supremacy. In 1823 the composer first presented this monumental work of art, declaring it ‘the most successful product of his mind’.

Asher Fisch leads an all-star cast of soloists and two choirs through this rich and staggeringly beautiful score. Here, Beethoven’s musical vision of the divine is delivered with almighty power by WASO for a transcendent live concert experience.

Asher Fisch: conductor
Kiandra Howarth: soprano
TBC mezzo: soprano
Paul O’Neill: tenor
James Clayton: bass
WASO Chorus: St George’s Cathedral Consort

If you’ve ever paid a visit to Heirisson Island at dusk, you’ll know that feeling when you hear the call of the swan; awestruck, contented, inspired. Rautavaara’s concerto for birds and orchestra sets the scene for Sibelius’ fifth symphony, a work of unbridled orchestral ecstasy inspired by swans in flight and infused with lustrous images of the expansive landscape of his native Finland. Macedonian superstar Simon Trpceski joins WASO to take on arguably the greatest piano concerto ever written, Rachmaninov’s stormy and majestic second.

Sometimes we’re dressed in black playing Mozart and sometimes we’re breeding raptors and in cosplay! We’re bringing old favourites and new surprises for our third year running. You told us what you wanted to hear and we’ve answered the call in a concert program of pure magic with your favourite scores from movies like Jurassic Park, How to Train Your Dragon and Jaws, video games like Final Fantasy and even more pop-culture fun from the wizarding world and beyond.

Whether you’re a Wonder Woman warrior or a fully-armoured Thor, grab your mates, dress up and come along to this fun fantasy night with WASO!

Christopher Dragon conductor

<p> With their brand new string-laden single 'Two Of Us' in the iTunes top 5, WASO is excited to announce a special concert with Birds of Tokyo. The five piece will be joined by WASO for an evening that showcases brand new music as well as reinterpretations of some signature Birds Of Tokyo classics. Appropriately the tour will commence in Perth, where the band was founded over 15 years ago.</p> <p> Birds Of Tokyo are Australia’s most successful contemporary rock band. Since forming in Perth over 15 years ago they have enjoyed chart topping albums and had eleven singles make Triple J’s prestigious 'Hottest 100'. They have won APRA’s songwriting award for 'Rock Work Of The Year' an extraordinary six times since 2012.</p> <p> Tickets available to the General Public from Thursday 20 February, 10am</p>

You-Know-Who is not the only one who has returned—Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger are back as well in this unforgettable concert event. Relive the magic with Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix™ displayed on a giant screen in high-definition and accompanied by a symphonic orchestra. See Harry and his friends race through the Department of Mysteries, practice Defense Against the Dark Arts in secret, and endure Professor Umbridge—all with Nicholas Hooper’s iconic score!

On World Environment Day, we participate in an international United Nations-led project to inspire everyone to take a stance on climate change. Beethoven’s Pastoral symphony is an evocative portrait of the harmonious and fragile unity between mankind and nature that blooms with rich detail in the hands of Asher Fisch.

Britten’s timeless Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra is endlessly entertaining. Iain Grandage will guide us on a journey of infectious discovery with one of the world’s most enduring classics. Bring the family. 

Dvorák’s eighth symphony explores a rich emotional palette with some of the composer’s most memorable melodies and beautiful soundscapes rooted in Bohemian culture. Romanian conductor Cristian M?celaru leads the orchestra through this joyful masterpiece. We open this concert with an exquisite new work for WASO by the talented young Perth composer Olivia Davies.

 

OLIVIA DAVIES: New Work
DVORAK: Symphony No.8

Cristian M?celaru: conductor

Grammy Award-winning Gil Shaham has been hailed by The New York Times as “one of today’s pre-eminent violinists.”  He brings his flawless technique and sublime artistry to perform Brahms' Violin Concerto, a masterpiece filled with virtuosic energy that spans every emotion in the spectrum.

We explore another rich emotional palette in Dvorák’s joyfully melodic eighth symphony, a beautiful Bohemian soundscape. The talented young Perth composer Olivia Davies has an exquisite musical style all her own and we open this concert with her new work for WASO.

OLIVIA DAVIES: New Work (World Premiere)
BRAHMS: Violin Concerto
DVORAK: Symphony No.8

Cristian M?celaru: conductor
Gil Shaham: violin

It was here, 180 years ago, that war broke out between traditional owners and those who sought to dispossess them of their land.

Combining moving poetry, two choirs, orchestra and the platform of the Requiem mass, a history of heartbreak and horror is revealed in this monumental new work. With a fusion of Western classical tradition and First Nations culture, Eumeralla soars with resilience and reconciliation.

DEBORAH CHEETHAM: Eumeralla, a war requiem for peace

Benjamin Northey: conductor
Deborah Cheetham: soprano (Yorta Yorta)
Linda Barcan: mezzo soprano
Don Bemrose: baritone (Gungarri)
WASO: Chorus
Dhungala Children’s Choir

Bring your best voice and party spirit as we raise the roof at Perth Concert Hall with WASO’s annual barnstorm of flag-waving favourites. Join conductor Guy Noble, the WASO Chorus and special guests as we whip up a spectacular musical feast, complete with a cavalcade of classical hits and patriotic anthems. As always the concert comes to an unmissable end with the traditional ‘Last Night of the Proms’ sing-a-long including Jerusalem and Rule, Britannia.

Guy Noble: conductor
Sky Ingram: soprano
Emmalena Huning: violin
WASO Chorus

Shostakovich wrote some of the most devastatingly powerful music in the repertoire. Be transported back to St Petersburg in 1905 on the eve of the revolution with his intensely charged eleventh symphony, led by world acclaimed Russian conductor Vasily Petrenko.

 

SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No.11 The Year 1905

Vasily Petrenko conductor

Mozart’s Piano Concerto No.21 is instantly recognisable. Immortalised in the 1967 film Elvira Madigan, it’s a showcase of the composer’s skill at weaving a supremely lyrical melody into a full-bodied sound world. The concerto is brought to life by South Korean pianist Yeol Eum Son, one of today’s most distinguished Mozart interpreters.

Shostakovich composed some of the most devastatingly powerful music in the repertoire. Be transported back to St Petersburg in 1905 on the eve of the revolution with his intensely charged eleventh symphony, led by world acclaimed Russian conductor Vasily Petrenko.

MOZART: Piano Concerto No.21 Elvira Madigan
SHOSTAKOVICH: Symphony No.11 The Year 1905

Vasily Petrenko: conductor
Yeol Eum Son: piano

For centuries, the symphony has been the ultimate canvas for composers to express their innermost thoughts and feelings at scale. Join presenter Paul Rissmann as he explores the motivation behind four landmark works, in a playlist that ranges from classical beauty to unadulterated horror.

 

HAYDN: Symphony No.104: Finale
BERLIOZ: Symphonie fantastique: 5th movement
MAHLER: Symphony No.5: Adagietto
SHOSTAKOVICH: Symphony No.5: 4th movement

Paul Rissmann: presenter
Benjamin Northey: conductor

A young boy, bewitched by his father's crazy brave ambition to fly, finds himself caught up in his dad’s fantasy. But when his father goes to war and does not return, it seems his spell may be broken, and all could be lost. Thankfully mechanical winged contraptions, fluffy white clouds and the endless blue sky offer some hope that the dream might indeed be possible.

Inspired by Grahame Baker-Smith’s poignant story FArTHER, this soaring concert for the whole family features music by Paul Rissmann set to stunning animations by Victor Craven in a concert program also featuring famed film composer John Williams. Join WASO and a children's choir as we cast our eyes to the skies this August.

JOHN WILLIAMS: E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
RESPIGHI: The Birds
HANDEL: Music for the Royal Fireworks: La Réjouissance
PAUL RISSMANN: FArTHER
RIMSKY-KORSAKOV: Flight of the Bumblebee
JOHN WILLIAMS: Star Wars: Main Title

Benjamin Northey: conductor
Paul Rissmann: presenter

We’re off to the Hollywood Hills for a richly orchestrated concert, cinematic in its scale. Following Barber’s profoundly beautiful Adagio and Weill’s final melodic symphony we’ll whisk you off to Paris for Gershwin’s irrepressibly jazzy musical postcard to complete this American- inspired program.

 

BARBER: Adagio for Strings
WEILL: Symphony No.2
GERSHWIN: An American in Paris

Asher Fisch: conductor