Max Richter has done this before. Back in 2016, the German-born British composer brought SLEEP to Vivid Sydney, in a world-first 8-hour live performance, which saw the Sydney Opera House stuffed with makeshift beds, and a sold-out audience take a full night’s sleep to his neoclassical ambient masterpiece, in an event billed as an “antidote to the pace of the modern world”.

This time (sadly) the format was a little more conventional, as Richter and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, guided by conductor Matthew Lynch, moved through seven of his most well-known compositions and wrapped up before bedtime.

Max Richter and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. Photo © Jordan K. Munns

Performed live for only the second time since its London premiere last year, Ambient Orchestra featured selections from Testament, The Waves, ‘Dream 19’ from SLEEP, Opus 2020, Arbenita and Exiles, all of which made their Australian live debuts. The world’s most-streamed classical artist, Richter introduced each piece to the audience, before sitting at the piano with often one hand – sometimes both – resting in his lap, as the orchestra swept through the phases of his richly textured, patiently developed scores.

Each...