The Sydney Symphony Orchestra offered a rich and varied evening at the Opera House Concert Hall, opening with the world premiere of arion, a new commission by contemporary Australian composer William Gardiner. Created as part of the SSO’s 50 Fanfares project, arion draws on Gardiner’s background in both electronic and acoustic music to produce an immersive, elemental sound world. Inspired by the ocean’s shifting patterns—its surging energy, wave-like rhythms, and evolving intensities—the piece unfolds in layered textures, with winds and brass used to striking effect. The result is a work that feels contemporary yet organic, exploring the tension between calm and turbulence in a way that evokes the vastness of the sea.
Violinist Arabella Steinbacher followed with a commanding performance of Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2, written in 1935 during the composer’s travels and concurrent work on Romeo and Juliet. The concerto blends melodic lyricism with biting modernist edges, culminating in a spirited final movement coloured by Spanish folk elements. Steinbacher, playing on a rare 18th-century Stradivarius, brought warmth and precision to the piece, capturing its expressive contrasts with flair. Her encore—Fritz Kreisler’s Recitativo and Scherzo-Caprice, Op. 6—was a dazzling showcase of technical brilliance and musical agility.
The evening concluded with a sweeping performance of Maurice Ravel’s complete Daphnis et Chloé, a lush and expansive ballet score first conceived in 1909 and completed in 1912. Often cited as Ravel’s most ambitious work, the 55-minute composition is a shimmering tapestry of sound and colour. Guest conductor Edward Gardner, visiting from the London Philharmonic Orchestra, led the SSO with vigour and detail, drawing out the piece’s intricate textures. Flautist Emma Sholl shone in her featured solo moments, lending lyrical beauty to some of the work’s most intimate passages. The Sydney Philharmonia Choirs—an ensemble of 200 voices—joined the orchestra, their wordless vocals enhancing the work’s mystical atmosphere. The choir served as a vital instrument in Ravel’s sonic landscape, acting as an emotional bridge to the ballet’s dreamlike world and leaving the audience suspended in a state of wonder.
Opera House 4.07.25
William Gardiner (b. 1987) arion (2025)
Sergei Prokofiev Concerto for Violin and Orchestra No. 2 in G minor, Op.63
Soloist Arabella Steinbacher
Maurice Ravel Daphnis and Chloe (1912)
Sydney Symphony Orchestra (SSO)
Conductor Edward Gardner
Chorus Master Elizabeth Scott
