Three unmissable concerts with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra

Whether you're a classical music aficionado or a casual listener, the first four notes of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony are unmistakable. Captivating audiences for more than 200 years, nothing compares to experiencing this masterpiece performed live. Conducted by Finnish maestro Pietari Inkinen, returning to the Sydney Symphony Orchestra after critically acclaimed performances in 2020, this concert will also feature Beethoven’s melodic First Piano Concerto. Composed 15 years before the Symphony when Beethoven was just 25, it will be performed by Spanish pianist and renowned Beethoven specialist Javier Perianes. Perianes has performed Beethoven with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in 2022 and 2023, and recently performed all five of Beethoven’s Piano Concertos in London. Also featuring in this concert is the world premiere of String Talk by First Nations composer Christopher Sainsbury, which combines Western classical forms with Indigenous traditions. Tickets are on sale now from $45 + booking fee for July 27 & 28.

Witness the Sydney Symphony Orchestra debut of 25-year-old saxophonist Jess Gillam, who has already risen to superstar status. After being signed to the legendary Decca Classics record label and releasing her debut album Rise, which claimed the top spot in the UK’s Classical Chart, she is now bringing her talent to the Sydney Opera House. Gilliam will perform in an hour-long concert which includes classical pieces that strongly feature saxophone. Revel in the expressive harmonies of Where the Bees Dance by Michael Nyman, who is best known for the stunning score to the film The Piano, followed by Rachmaninov’s Symphonic Dances, the last piece the great composer ever wrote. For those that attend on July 18, the performance will also include Maurice Ravel’s La Valse, which was composed in the ‘20s and reimagines a waltz. Tickets are on sale for July 18 & 19 from $45 + booking fee.

At the height of the Romantic period, Tchaikovsky composed some of the most evocative scores, leaving a lasting legacy with works such as The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker. Years before those iconic works, he  found his voice with his Fourth Symphony. A combination of Western classical music and Russian storytelling, that was, for its time, something completely new. Nearly 150 years later, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, led by Finnish conductor Pietari Inkinen, brings this tender work to life and continues Tchaikovsky’s extraordinary legacy. Alongside Tchaikovsky, the Sydney Symphony welcomes the return of cellist Alban Gerhardt to perform Prokofiev’s Sinfonia Concertante. Although the lives of these two great Russian composers overlapped by only two years, both are regarded as among the greatest of their eras. Don’t miss this double bill of musical masterpieces with tickets on sale now for August 2 & 3 from $72 + booking fee. 

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