Sydney Symphony Orchestra, 9 July 2026, Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House
The Symphony Hour offers a neat concert package of well-known classical works in a program with no interval — all done and dusted in an hour. This knowledgeable audience knows what it likes, and a packed hall settled in to enjoy American violinist Benjamin Beilman bring fresh, vibrant energy to Felix Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto and Schubert’s Symphony No. 8 under Norwegian conductor Tabita Berglund, a dazzling rising star in the international conducting world. Her vigorous attention to musical nuance and meticulous acknowledgement of the orchestral soloists helped showcase the SSO at its finest.
Beilman strode onto the stage with evident focus and confidence, launching immediately into the concerto’s famous opening theme. The drama and immediacy were captivating. Playing from memory on his “Ysaÿe” Guarneri del Gesù violin (built 1740, previously owned by Eugène Ysaÿe, Isaac Stern, and Itzhak Perlman), he coaxed a wonderfully sweet, vocal quality from the historic instrument. His mastery of its sweeping melodic lines and skilful, acrobatic fingering revealed a deep embodiment of the music. Through his natural presence and physical engagement, Beilman brought a youthful vitality to the performance that highlighted the work’s living spirit without undermining its sophistication.
Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto, presented first, was the result of a thoughtful, six-year collaboration with his close friend, violinist Ferdinand David. The work broke new ground from the outset and displays all the hallmarks of Mendelssohn’s distinctive voice. From the first note the violin is the star, entering with the leading motif ahead of the orchestra. The three movements are held together by seamless links — including a single bassoon note — with no distinct break between them. The cadenzas are integral to the music, carefully placed before the recapitulation rather than left as showy improvisations, as was the convention of the time.
The second movement fully demonstrated the delicate filigree of Mendelssohn’s light and airy melodic lines, particularly in the stunning duets between violin and woodwinds — bringing to mind the ethereal world of his early incidental music to A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Beilman effortlessly moved between solo statements and collaborative support in the finale, bringing the work to a triumphant conclusion. His blend of restrained presence and lack of exaggerated gestures only highlighted his calm control and maturity beyond his years.
Beilman returned for an encore: the Gavotte en Rondeau from J.S. Bach’s Violin Partita No. 3 in E major. It offered another chance to savour the instrument’s beautiful tone and his lightness of touch, bringing out the dance-like quality. The choice perfectly referenced Mendelssohn’s deep admiration for Bach and further delighted the enthusiastic audience before he was finally allowed to leave the stage.
Tabita Berglund commanded attention with her authoritative baton as she led the orchestra into Franz Schubert’s “Unfinished” Symphony No. 8 in B minor, D. 759. It remains a mystery why Schubert set the work aside unfinished — it was certainly not due to his imminent death, as he was still a young man in a hurry, producing an astonishing body of work in his short life. (Mendelssohn, too, died tragically young in his thirties.)
Like Beethoven, at whose funeral he served as a torchbearer, Schubert broke decisively with established symphonic norms. He experimented boldly with techniques pioneered by Beethoven — dramatic loud chords, unexpected breaks in melodic flow, and startling modulations — while bringing his own natural gift for orchestral colour and tone. The orchestration feels more texturally varied and “Romantic” than Mendelssohn’s. The first movement opens with a brooding cello and bass theme (led by Catherine Hewgill, Simon Cobcroft, Kees Boersma, and Alex Henery) that builds in intensity, with winds and horns heightening tension in the development through powerful, stormy outbursts. The second movement has a haunting quality, with winds shining: clarinets (Olli Leppaniemi and Francesco Celata) and oboes (Shefali Pryor and Callum Hogan) delivered poignant solos. Trombones (led by Scott Kinmont and Nick Byrne) added weight and solemnity, while the full wind section drove emotional swells and dramatic shifts.
The symphony concluded with a hushed, unresolved ending that left the audience in thoughtful silence — a fitting reflection of the work’s enigmatic status and its enduring importance as a bridge between Classical formal conventions and the expressive freedom of the Romantic era.
Photographs courtesy of Cassandra Hannagan.
Program
FELIX MENDELSSOHN Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64
Soloist: Benjamin Beilman, violin
FRANZ SCHUBERT Symphony No. 8 in B minor, D. 759, “Unfinished”
Conductor: Tabita Berglund
