Australian Chamber Orchestra wow with Reflections on Gallipoli

Plaudits for the Australian Chamber Orchestra (ACO) are hardly new but their current performance, Reflections on Gallipoli is extraordinary. Over the past few years there has been some revisionist debate suggesting that Australia’s emphasis upon the Gallipoli campaign is flawed, that it was a minor campaign in the wider context of the Great War and that Australia’s casualties were far greater on the Western Front. This concert doesn’t so much reject this revisionist theory, as simply ignore it. Academic debate doesn’t change a nation’s psyche and for better or worse Gallipoli is a significant part of the Australian psyche.

Where the ACO have successfully challenged is with perceptions of the music synonymous with the era. The only piece the average concert goer is likely to instantly recognise is Vaughan William’s Lark Ascending. The rest of the programme is a fascinating selection of Turkish and Allied compositions including some new music by Carl Vine.

Taryn Fiebig performing with the ACO

The concert has travelled to all the capital cities and has just one concert left in Sydney, Friday lunchtime. Concerts are at Angel Place’s City Recital Hall, a bonus for those of us who often escort the aged or infirm to such events as all seats are accessible via a lift. As someone who doesn’t normally bother with the more expensive seating for classical concerts and despite the acoustics at the City Recital Hall being excellent even if you sit in row Z, I would recommend going for a more expensive seat on one of the lower levels in order to fully appreciate the visual elements of the performance.