Drama, romance and breathtaking virtuosity – that’s entertainment!

May 30th, 2025

It’s not often that one gets to witness a real, live, symphonic orchestral concert, complete with strings, brass, wind, percussion and a concert grand piano – in regional WA.

This is exactly what we were treated to in the Great Southern this afternoon when the Albany Sinfonia filled the Entertainment Centre with the complex, rich, lush sounds that only an orchestra of 60 plus human beings playing real instruments can create.

And what a treat it was. The programme showcased a dynamic selection of orchestral works, starting with the excitement and warmth of Brahms oddly titled ‘Academic Festival Overture’, the ever-so-English ‘Fantasia on “Greensleeves”’ and the evocative Peter Sculthorpe composition “Small Town”. The jewel in the crown was a stunningly virtuosic performance of George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” by Adam Cook which had me leaping to my feet at the end of the first half.

The second half opened with some very fine syncopated rhythms from the Albany Chamber Orchestra (yes – there were two orchestras performing!), a haunting duet between harp and strings and one of my favourite bits of Boccherini played with both subtlety and panache. Finally the two orchestras came back together to perform local composer Iain Grandage’s “All that Glisters”, an arrangement of the “Out of Africa” theme by the Sinfonia’s founder, Will Upton and one of my all time favourites, Smetana’s “The Moldau”.

A packed programme and a raft of thoroughly professional performances that could have graced the stage of any metropolitan concert hall, delivered here in Albany to a rapt audience by local professional and amateur musicians, ranging in age from 15 to 80. It was a rich and satisfying experience that fittingly concluded with a spirited rendition of “That’s Entertainment”. It really was – I take my hat off to you all.

Vicky Wilson, Denmark Baroque

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