Queensland Symphony Orchestra

Playful. Heartfelt. Virtuosic. 

Conductor Elena Schwarz
Soloist Jack Liebeck, violin

PROGRAM INCLUDES

Milliken Piece 43 For Now (Australian premiere) 
Mozart Violin Concerto No.3 in G, K.216 (Strassburg) 
Shostakovich Symphony No.9 in E flat

The story goes that a fellow Russian composer, upon hearing Shostakovich’s 9th Symphony for the first time, wrote: “The main theme of the first movement – Mozart! Almost literally Mozart.” Shostakovich, known for taking the symphonic sound to some dark places, surprised everyone with a much lighter touch this time around. And yet he retained his immense power for showing what an orchestra could do. From the piccolo to the tuba, the whole orchestra, under the baton of Swiss-Australian conductor Elena Schwarz, will be drawn into this playful world. 

As for the Mozart comparison, you’ll be able to judge for yourself as Jack Liebeck, master violinist and Artistic Director of the Australian Festival of Chamber Music, will perform Mozart’s genius Violin Concerto No.3. 

Although many composers transport us to other times and places, there are some who choose to reflect on a specific moment in history. Completing this concert is Australian composer Cathy Milliken’s Piece 43 For Now, written (in Cathy’s words) in response to “the rollercoaster months for me in the six months since the announcement of lockdown in March 2020”.