Classics Series

From Mozart's timeless symphonies to Tchaikovsky's virtuosic Violin Concerto, this series is brimming with colourful, expressive and memorable classics.

PIERS LANE PLAYS RACHMANINOV

7.30pm, friday 22 & saturday 23 MARCH
perth concert hall

WASO celebrates the 200th anniversary of Wagner’s birth with some of his most fiery and explosive orchestral music. Australian pianist Piers Lane showcases his technical brilliance in Rachmaninov’s thrilling Rhapsody, based on music by the great violin virtuoso Paganini. Lyricism, passion and drama continue as Principal Conductor Paul Daniel leads your Orchestra in one of Dvořák’s greatest symphonies.

MOZART's last symphonies

Gala

7.30pm, friday 3 & saturday 4 MAY
perth concert hall

Mozart’s last three symphonies are among the most revered and enduring in the entire orchestral repertoire. Drama and darkness, serenity and sadness, majesty and grace – all of Mozart’s humanity and musical genius is revealed in these late masterpieces. Douglas Boyd brings his passion and knowledge of Classical style to what will be one of the musical highlights of the season.

DEBUSSY, HAYDN & POULENC

7.30pm, friday 7 & saturday 8 JUNE
perth concert hall

Internationally renowned French conductor Yan Pascal Tortelier returns to WASO in this delightful and varied program. Poulenc’s joyous choral masterwork, Gloria, combines sensual playfulness with profound spirituality, while Debussy’s famous Prélude delights in languid beauty. Haydn’s Cello Concerto is music of great poise and elegance – a perfect showcase for the subtle mastery of acclaimed Dutch cellist Pieter Wispelwey.

BEETHOVEN & COPLAND

7.30pm, friday 28 & saturday 29 JUNE
perth concert hall

WASO Principal Clarinet Allan Meyer takes the stand in Copland’s jazz inspired concerto written for the composer’s fellow New Yorker, the ‘King of Swing’, Benny Goodman. Scottish conductor Rory MacDonald makes his WASO debut in this concert featuring one of Sibelius’ most colourful symphonic poems and concluding with Beethoven’s lyrical Fourth Symphony.

TCHAIKOVSKY'S VIOLIN CONCERTO

7.30pm, friday 9 & saturday 10 AUGUST
perth concert hall

Passionate, virtuosic, full of heart-rending melodies and lush orchestral textures, Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto is an audience favourite. Making her WASO debut, Latvian violinist Baiba Skride has been hailed by BBC Music Magazine as “a throwback to the golden age of Heifetz, Kreisler and Milstein”. Two very different views of Scotland form the framework for this multicoloured program.

INGRID FLITER PLAYS CHOPIN

7.30pm, friday 13 & saturday 14 SEPTEMBER
perth concert hall

Ingrid Fliter’s performances of Chopin’s piano concertos have been described by The Scotsman as a “miraculous blend of spontaneity, poetry and sincerity”. Don’t miss this opportunity to experience her exquisite musicianship in Chopin’s sublime Second Piano Concerto. Schumann’s Spring Symphony is one of his most joyful creations, brimming with enchanting melodies and exuberant energy.

BEETHOVEN'S PASTORAL SYMPHONY

Gala

7.30pm, friday 11 & saturday 12 OCTOBER
perth concert hall

Beethoven’s Pastoral is one of the most beloved of all symphonies, a captivating portrayal of nature’s splendour and power. Fiona Campbell sings poems of love and loss set to music of seductive intimacy in Berlioz’s ‘Summer Nights’. To lead this sumptuous concert we welcome outstanding English conductor Paul McCreesh in his WASO debut.

SOL GABETTA PLAYS DVORAK

7.30pm, friday 15 & saturday 16 NOVEMBER
perth concert hall

Sol Gabetta’s breathtaking performances thrilled Perth audiences in 2011 and she returns with one of the most popular of all cello concertos. Smetana’s much-loved symphonic poem evokes the sounds of one of Bohemia’s great rivers, from burbling tributaries to sweeping rapids. Brahms’ radiant Second Symphony ends in a burst of joy – a perfect conclusion to the Classics Series.