Emma Matthews and James Egglestone help the DSO sparkle in front of Ayers Rock.

It’s an unlikely program for the first orchestral concert to be played at the foot of Ayers Rock. No Peter Sculthorpe, no Brett Dean – not even Beethoven, who so often bears the flag when Western art music marches into new territory. The Darwin Symphony Orchestra decided to inaugurate the rock with a gala of Giuseppe Verdi, whose 200th anniversary is celebrated this year. And when you have the magnificent soprano Emma Matthews as a soloist, why not Verdi, after all?

It was a concert to remember, not least for the desert backdrop, which looked like a publicity still from Baz Luhrman’s Australia. But the arrival of Emma Matthews was more Lawrence of Arabia than anything else. Perched sidesaddle atop a camel, the brave soprano was trotted to the stage just as the last strains of the overture to Aida were fading. While the crowd ogled the dromedary (named Meryl – she almost threatened to steal the show), Matthews took her place centrestage for her first aria, Mercè, dilette amiche from I Vespri Siciliani.

It was the first of four solo arias that showcased Matthews at...