Isn’t it something to go and see one of your favourite works live at the orchestra?

I’m sure this was a feeling at the heart of many who attended the Federation Concert Hall on Saturday night, eager to indulge in Holst’s The Planets presented by the Australian Youth Orchestra with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra.

Before it even began, the stage was overflowing with instruments – double basses resting precariously on the edge before being picked up by the musicians, themselves seated not a metre away from the front row. The audience was equally abundant; evidence of our enthusiasm to celebrate a full century of The Planets.

The concert opened with two works – first, Georges Lentz’s Ngangkar from Caeli enarrant… VII: Mysterium. Fitting in with the other-worldly theme of the night, the work reflected the composer’s interest in astronomy and spirituality, inspiring in its listeners a portrait of the night sky. It was indeed transportative: ominous trills, gongs spaced to the far left and right of the stage, and occasionally a pure and moving harmony ringing from the strings before fading away into a mystery which never fully concluded. Though, these affects would not have been...