It must be extremely difficult to narrow down an entire era of rich and eclectic music into just one evening’s worth of music. Baroque favourites; we’ve all got ‘em! Luckily for Perth concertgoers, West Australian Symphony Orchestra and Guest Director Shaun Lee-Chen curated an excellent mix of Baroque delights: crowd-pleasers, showstoppers and rarer gems. The inimitable Lee-Chen led the ensemble with equal measures of gusto and sensitivity,  and in exploring the outer limits of permissibility for the repertoire at hand, created some exhilarating moments. WASO also provided a couple of soloists of their own, Principal Flute Andrew Nicholson and Associate Principal Oboe Liz Chee, each taking on a concerto to honour Baroque wind repertoire. The evening was an entirely local affair of Perth musicians sounding nothing less than world-class.

WASO Baroque Favourites

Shaun Lee-Chen and West Australian Symphony Orchestra perform Baroque Favourites. Photo © Rebecca Mansell

A reduced WASO string section with harpsichord (and the occasional appearance from the oboes, trumpets, and timpani) sonically slotted into an early music soundscape beautifully. Corelli’s Concerto Grosso Op. 6 No 4 was wonderfully balanced, with continuo-driven tuttis and colourful cascading tutti lines in the...