"...THIS ambitious concert was presided over by music director Louis Sharpe, who was affable and communicative with his audience, stressing the community aspect of its work, although in reality presenting music of great complexity.

The afternoon began with a Canberra premiere of Melbourne composer Nat Bartsch’s 202 composition “Hope”, which got the concert off to a slow start, conjuring up as it does the grief and loss experienced in the Victorian Black Summer bushfires, but also allowing for exciting work from the horns and brass, of which we were to see far more.

Originally scored for piano, string quartet and electronics, it was later re-scored for full orchestra, enabling an evocative fade-out to light percussive effects in the end.

The centrepiece of the day was Shostakovich’s cello Concerto No. 1 in E flat major, composed after Stalin’s death.

The soloist was the brilliant young ANU cello (and mathematics and physics) student, James Monro, who has been winning prizes and accolades all around town this year..."

Read original article by Helen Musa from CBR City News.