Nothing elevates the soul like live music, and that goes doubly for the classics performed by a 40-piece orchestra.
To wave goodbye to summer and put a smile on the face of Western Sydney, City of Canterbury Bankstown – living up to their city brand of 'Where Interesting Happens' – is welcoming the Sydney Symphony Orchestra to play a Covid-safe outdoor concert of feel-great classics.
The concert will take place in Paul Keating Park, Bankstown, on Saturday February 19. Roger Benedict will conduct a program of all-time favourites, ranging from Mozart’s bouncy and optimistic Overture to his opera The Marriage of Figaro to Sibelius’s moving and dramatic ‘Valse Triste’.
‘Pavane’ by the early romantic French composer Gabriel Fauré is a very popular and familiar piece, and very soothing too – just the ticket in trying times. By contrast, the Hungarian Dance No 5 by Brahms is lively and super-catchy – you’re bound to recognise it when you hear it.
Did you know that Beethoven’s immortal Symphony No 5 in C minor was a flop at its first performance in 1808? Audiences at the time did not know what to make of its muscular dynamics and the reception was chilly. That’s unlikely to be the case when Sydney Symphony takes to the amphitheatre to play the first movement of this most popular of all pieces of classical music.
There will also be performances of two highly enjoyable works by Australian composers: Natalie Nicolas’s ‘We Won’t Let You Down’ and Elena Kats-Chernin’s ‘Moon Feather Magic’.
All tickets to the concert are a super-cheap $5 (children under 5 free) and must be booked online. The proceeds will be going to local charities.
Paul Keating Park is next to the Mall, one block away from Bankstown Station. Gates open at 5pm and the concert starts at 6.30pm. Remember to practise physical distancing and to stay at home if you are unwell.
