In 2023, the Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra celebrates its 10th anniversary - 10 years of exploring historically informed performance through memorable concerts and enriching education programs - with a series of concerts that journey from the luxury of Vienna to the rugged landscapes of Scotland, from the close intimacy of chamber music to the grandeur of the full orchestra.
Stephi Wild, Broadway World, 24 January 2023
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Celebrating its 10th year, the Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra has announced its 2023 season.
The Orchestra brings three mainstage touring concerts to Queensland, Melbourne, New South Wales and Canberra, as well as a three-pronged Voyage of Musical Discovery program pairing Romantic and Classical music with contemporary Australian composition in a pledge to music education.
Maddy Briggs, Limelight, 24 January 2023
Witness a musical revolution performed on historical instruments by some of Australia’s finest international artists when the Australian Romantic and Classical Orchestra tours Australian towns including Caloundra.
Noosa Today, 11 January 2023
In the late 1700s, Vienna was seized by enthusiasm for the clarinet. Mozart fell in love with the sound of this fashionable new instrument, considering it the closest to the human voice, especially in the hands of the brilliant virtuoso Anton Stadler. He was moved by Stadler and clarinet builder Theodor Lotz’ latest invention, the basset clarinet, to compose his Clarinet Quintet in A major. With its perfect proportions and melodic invention, this exquisite work is one of Mozart’s best-loved pieces to this day.
Rebecca Varidel, Sydney Scoop 6 January 2023
…Gill’s account of Mendelssohn’s “Fingal’s Cave” Overture shows him a consummate sculptor of orchestral tone and texture, encouraging his forces to an unbridled climax, before subsiding to an elegant conclusion.
…Beethoven’s Symphony No 7 in A, Op. 92 is the undoubted highlight of this program. Crackling with dramatic energy throughout, Beesley imbues the music both with a strong sense of architecture, as well a joyful realisation of the work’s all-important rhythmic impetus, resulting in an exciting, adrenalin-charged race to the finish.
At a time when Australia is not lacking for chamber orchestras, nor for those aware of historical principles, ARCO still claims a special place in a busy, dynamic field. These ebullient performances constitute a worthy tribute to and continuation of Gill’s ardent musical trailblazing. “
Limelight 19 November 2022
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‘Historically informed performance is a musical language which takes years of experience to become fluent. There is much more to it than just picking up a period instrument or popping gut strings on your violin and working out how to play it technically, in time, and in tune,’ says Nicole van Bruggen, the Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra’s co-Artistic Director and principal clarinet.
‘I like to use the analogy of learning a language – it is one thing to have high school French, but quite another to speak it like a native,’ she adds.
Perhaps counter-intuitively, van Bruggen says historically informed performance actually allows the players some individual musical expression, even though it is based on extensive research and scholarship.
‘Specialising in historic performance allows for an artistic freedom coupled with an academic foundation which is often not afforded in modern instrument ensembles and orchestras which are bound by late 20th-century modes of learning and performance,’ she says.
ArtsHub, 22 November 2022
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The Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra's popular Young Mannheim Symphonists program has been brought to a triumphant conclusion for 2022, where 31 young musicians gathered for a week of intensive music-making in Melbourne. A celebratory final concert showcased the skills of these aspiring young artists who interpreted orchestral works by Mozart, Beethoven and Emilie Mayer. Applications for the 2023 instalment of this important national music education program are now open…
Broadway World, 16 October 2022
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Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra – Sweet, rich, mellow, like Viennese chocolate
“Neal Peres Da Costa played this new fortepiano lovingly and sensitively, complementing the orchestra’s rich, mellow sound like Viennese chocolate. The second movement was particularly sweet.
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The rich, mellow sound of this historically informed orchestra continued with Mozart’s Symphony No. 41 in C major, K.551, aptly nicknamed the Jupiter. With plenty of tempestuous gusto coming from the stage, they clearly enjoyed the lively pace of this masterful symphony. The special rapport between players was evident and would be a prerequisite for performing without a separate conductor.
The tempestuous applause at the end was a sign of the audience’s keen appreciation. “
Heidi Hereth, classikON (31 August 2022)
Image: Robert Catto
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“Rachael Beesley’s charismatic leading of featured string players plus timpani was full of fine characterisation across the four movements with a carefree, innocent nature.
Blend of the string soloists with the rest of the ensemble was seamless. Moments of surprise, humour and playfulness were enjoyed by the musicians and audience…
Neal Peres Da Costa’s Historically Informed Performance experience and research brought so many new options and approaches to this slow movement and in the rest of the well-known concerto. The intimate voice of the fortepiano was imbued with arpeggiation, embellishment of line and extra material to push the sound through the fortepiano’s quicker fade in tone.
The F sharp minor slow movement was nicely voiced and ornamented. Its interplay with strings and wind to trace the harmonic contour and surprises was beautifully achieved. The fortepiano tone blended into the sonic tapestry rather than rise above it as it would with a more resonant modern instrument and performance practice.
This concerto, with wind and especially clarinets used in the narrative so much, was in good hands here with the quality contributions from ARCO players… “
Paul Nolan, Sydney Arts Guide (27 August 2022)
Image: Robert Catto
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5 stars
Never has a concert been more deserving of 5 stars.
“…The level of thought invested in Neal Peres da Costa’s interpretation of Mozart’s Piano Concert No 23 in A major, K. 488 (1786) was made clear not only in the extended, and virtuosic, cadenzas toward the end, but particularly in the haunting opening of the second movement which demands a certain lyricism and control.
After a brief intermission came the Overture to Don Giovanni. Its violent anticipation of hell’s opening is well-known, but the effect in the City Recital Hall was stark. The foreboding scales on the winds were played with great effect by Kate Clark and Jessica Lee.
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What a fitting way to end this ensemble’s whirlwind tour of the East Coast!
Aryan Mohseni, State of the Art, 26 August 2022
Image: Robert Catto
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4.5 stars
… a masterful and exuberant snapshot of the composer's oeuvre.
… The arrival of the concerto brought a sunburst of A-major beneficence. Neal Peres Da Costa played the fortepiano and the effect (from row G at least) was a sound somewhere between a piano and a harpsichord. I liked the moderate tempos throughout. The soloist brought out the sensibilities underlying the civilised urbane exterior… The finale radiated a dancing exuberance.
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…this performance [of Mozart’s Jupiter Symphony] showcased visceral excitement – never at the expense of gravitas. From the peremptory opening chords and the gentle “reaction” till the last notes, this was a masterful rendition. What impressed me most was the inner detail, enhanced by the excellence of the acoustics in the City Recital Hall at Angel Place. …the orchestra captured the dazzling contrapuntal swirl and the bubbling woodwind was a delight (is it invidious to single out the gorgeous flute?).
All told, a wonderful experience!”
Greg Keane, Limelight, 25 August 2022
Image: Robert Catto
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“The Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra is a powerhouse of the highest quality music making. Maybe it is the dedication to historically informed performance that makes it so good. Maybe it is the joy audiences see on the player’s faces, but it is certainly the quality of its performance that makes its music something to treasure. Richard Gill, the renowned music educator and founding artistic director of the Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra would be so proud and delighted with the music it is making today.”
Rob Kennedy, Canberra City News, 18 August 2022
Photo: Peter Hislop
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The Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra’s TEMPESTUOUS SKIES symphonic tour from 16-24 August brings some of Mozart’s most sublime, dramatic and passionate music to six national and regional centres…
Dooral Roundup, August 2022
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The Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra performs some of Mozart’s most sublime, dramatic and passionate music including Jupiter Symphony, Piano Concerto A Major, Overture to Don Giovanni and sparkling Serenata, directed by violinist Rachael Beesley….
Hills to Hawkesbury Community News, August 2022
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“The gentle waltz of the Adagio movement featured van Bruggen and Oswell. Most interesting to note was the soft muted voice of Coppalle’s bassoon which is a modern reproduction of one by Carl August Grenser from the late 1700s. Every instrument on the stage was either an original or reproduction from between 1705 and 1840 giving the collective voice of the group a rounded, soft sound rather than the harsh, metallic ringing of modern instruments. The period instruments tend to draw you in closer as if you are listening in the salon. Schubert’s composition featured a really lovely passage in this Adagio starting with the first violin and adding each string instrument, one by one, to the conversation. It was a beautifully connected and sensitive interpretation. […]
“It was a magnificent performance by Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra as always. Their work is consistently an incredibly high standard with players who are principals of orchestras from all around the world.”
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Annabelle Drumm, Sydney Arts Guide, 20 June 2022
“What a way to experience the Sounds of Vienna – from newly rediscovered to old favourites, and played by experts from around the world. The audience exclaimed their appreciation in whoops, cheers and enthusiastic applause. We went out into the glittering winter’s night, with Schubert in our hearts and minds. Thank you Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra!
Heidi Hereth, Classikon, 19 June 2022
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⭐⭐⭐⭐ “If you don’t know much about music, and you wish you did, or you know a lot about music and you’re looking for something new – this concert series is perfect for you. Don’t let the thought of a bunch of school students attending stop you from seeing some truly excellent musicians; in fact, it’s a joy to have so much energy and knowledge being shared in the City Recital Hall.”
Charlotte Smee, Theatre Thoughts, 17 June 2022
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"Sound and style are how the Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra achieves its tremendously polished defining edge. The tones of the gut strings are distinctive, vagaries of tuning and all. The music is played with due respect to the aesthetics of the era, notably the use of portamento and ornamentation."
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"Schubert’s writing never lags and the performance is engaging, the quintet of strings embellished with the brassy thrill of the horn, the exuberance of the bassoon and Nicole van Bruggen’s sleek clarinet lines, especially evident in the second movement Adagiowhen clarinet and violin engage in an elegant dialogue. "
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"The Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra delivers the Sounds of Vienna with splendid playing, a unique sound and winning repertoire. Pass the Sachertorte please!"
Shamistha de Soysa, Limelight, 16 June 2022
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[…}“The delicate and sensitive sounds of Eybler’s quintet is a discovery of the passionate and the intimate. The group’s handling of the music said so much about their commitment and understanding of the playing of music from this period. Everything about their playing said connection. A connection to the music and relating that into an enjoyable experience.
The tone, style, dynamic and volume of the music grew in the “Octet in F Major” D.803 by Franz Schubert. This turbulent, swelling music with its multiple lines of individual music captures attention through its dynamic complexity. There is so much going on in this music that trying to tell its story is difficult. It does not let up. Even in the slow movement, the complexity remains, albeit at a slower pace.
Over the six movements, and at almost an hour of music, there’s a lot to take in. But fortunately, in the hands of such fine players, it was a warming experience. The few solo moments brought back that intimate expression experienced earlier in the concert. The lines where the clarinet took the lead were the most alluring. Its velvety sound played so well, brought out the best in the music.”
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One hopes to see and hear Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra in Canberra much more. Their kind of music-making never goes astray or to waste. On a long tour, covering eight cities, it was a treat to hear them bring such fine music to the capital of Australia for a good-sized audience.
Rob Kennedy, Canberra City News, 9 June 2022
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(4.5 stars)
”After interval the Michael Haydn work was unveiled, and what a magnificent piece it proved to be. After an attractive introduction with organ weaving in between lively brass and strings, the choir enters for a jaunty Kyrie. Each of the three subsequent sections has a grandeur about the writing, aided by the three trombones and twinned trumpets and some virtuosic keyboard writing.”
Steve Moffatt, Limelight, 23 May 2022
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