The Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra (ARCO), under leader Rachael Beesley, are a crack Antipodean outfit defined by a rigorous approach to historically informed performance particularly pertaining to the 19th century and its 18th- and 20th-century fringes.
[In ‘Midsummer Dreams’] the Beethoven Symphony No. 8 thrillingly builds up the sound with great individual timbres, and energetic heft balanced with lightness throughout.
ARCO end with more Mendelssohn, this time the ‘Scottish’ Symphony, the opening made afresh with distinctive period wind. The sound is by turns tender, deep and rich, with an energy that can be truly exciting; the final movement is full of gutsy drive, superb phrasing and expression.
Sarah Unwin Jones, BBC Music Magazine
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