The Australian Chamber Orchestra and Artistic Director Richard Tognetti return to UKARIA with a three-program weekend, featuring a combination of much-loved masterworks and important contemporary voices that showcase the ACO’s world-renowned energy and spirit.

In the opening concert, Erwin Schulhoff’s Five Pieces take us back to the popular dances of early-twentieth-century Europe, while Krzysztof Penderecki’s string quintet drifts through memories of his childhood. The performance concludes by exploring the intimate connection between Beethoven and Brahms, combining their last string quartets in new arrangements for string orchestra.

The second concert features contemporary works including Osvaldo Golijov’s gripping tango duel and Gabriella Smith’s wild quartet. Enough to incite a musical revolution, these pieces draw attention to the energy for which the ACO is famous. The concert culminates with Richard Tognetti’s own arrangement for string orchestra of Brahms’ monumental Violin Concerto, featuring Richard as soloist.

The weekend concludes with celebrations of rhythm and vitality alongside some of the most exquisite music ever written. Jörg Widmann’s 180 beats per minute whizzes past at maximum speed, and young Australian composer Harry Sdraulig’s string quintet is hot off the press. In Pēteris Vasks’ sublimely meditative Viola Concerto, time stands completely still. The ACO says farewell with Brahms’ second String Sextet, the composer’s own farewell to a love that slipped away.

SATURDAY PACKAGE
Concert One | 4.00pm | Leaves of an Unwritten Diary
Concert Two | 6.00pm | Brahms' Violin Concerto
Post-concert two-course dinner | 7.30pm

SUNDAY PACKAGE
Pre-concert buffet lunch | 12.30pm
Concert Three | 2.30pm | Brahms' String Sextet

Single tickets are also available for each concert by clicking the concert titles above.