Federation Concert Hall,
September 1

As I took my seat in the Federation Concert Hall to experience the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, I overheard the discussion of a young couple nearby who had turned up for the show. As things had it, they didn’t know which works would grace the program of this concert. And what a delight it was to start the night with the knowledge that young concertgoers chose to visit the orchestra simply to enjoy fine music without discrimination. The TSO surely surpassed the expectations of this couple – I say this bravely as such was the effect on my own ears.

Otto Tausk. Photo © Aaron Aubrey

Breaking away from traditional programming of symphonies composed by the likes of Beethoven and Mozart, the TSO brought French Impressions into the hall. Indeed, the impression the orchestra provided was fresh and new; whether this extreme transformation of its sound is attributable to the programming or the combination of talent is hard to determine.

The concert opened with Hosokawa’s Blossoming II – and the first notes marked the softest pianissimo I have heard from an orchestra. This eventually flourished into a range of defined and...