It was an exciting and challenging call put out by community broadcaster 3MBS to Artistic Director Wilma Smith to curate seven concerts for an all-day event celebrating the Marathon’s 10-year history.

Every concert certainly offered a fresh and broad range of musicians and instruments, imaginatively programmed to include familiar repertoire with culturally diverse and contemporary Australian works. Could this seemingly mixed menu work?

And with larger numbers also watching ADCH online streaming, would the excitement, pride and joy of celebratory audiences be diminished?

Seemingly not. In the Elisabeth Murdoch Hall, a spellbound audience experienced many sublime moments in the opening concert, appropriately called Sublime.

Tair Khisambeev, Kyla Matsuura-Miller, Katie Yap, Elina Faskhi and Richard Narroway play Schubert during the 3MBS Marathon. Photo © Australian Digital Concert Hall

An arrangement of D’un Matin de Printemps (Of a Spring Morning), one of Lili Boulanger’s final orchestral works, perfectly exposed the vibrancy, colour and virtuosity of the Collide Ensemble – Joseph Lallo (soprano saxophone), Yelian He (cello) and pianist Yasmin Rowe. Opening with golden sax melodies playing freely over a brisk staccato piano accompaniment, clearly defined recurring sections contrasted with well-defined darker shadowy moods and key changes,...