A celebration of a musical and personal relationship spanning more than 40 years.

Utzon Room, Sydney Opera House

June 22, 2014

A rare appearance by the husband and wife team of Raphael and Elizabeth Wallfisch in concert together at the Utzon Room in Sydney Opera House was a very special family affair.

Not only was it a celebration of a musical and personal relationship spanning more than 40 years, but their son composer and conductor Benjamin wrote a charming miniature to mark the occasion.

He took as his theme quotes from Mendelssohn’s Octet, the piece that brought together the young English cellist and the violinist from Melbourne who left Australia to pursue her career.

Their professional careers seldom coincided. Raphael went to America to study before settling down to a mainstream career as a soloist with many of the best orchestras.

Elizabeth, or “Libby”, worked in various orchestras before concentrating on her specialty as a Baroque player and leader.

This recital all these years later in the intimate and beautiful Utzon room, looking out on Sydney Harbour on a crisp and sunny Sunday afternoon, marked the closing of the full circle.

Libby started the program with the passacaglia from Heinrich Ignaz Biber’s Sonata No 16 in G...