One arrives at Melbourne venue fortyfivedownstairs by walking down several flights of stairs into a warehouse-style basement with beautiful old hardwood floors and painted brick walls. Descending into this peaceful space felt almost like time travelling into the past.

As soon as the concert began, that illusion broke, thanks to a brand new arrangement by Peter Neville of Ross Edwards’ Full Moon Dances. Originally for orchestra with solo alto saxophone, this concerto was premiered in June 2012 with Amy Dickson as the soloist (to whom the piece is dedicated). It is a fabulous work, but so complex both for the soloist and particularly for the orchestra that it has never joined the canon of frequently played saxophone repertoire. The piece relies heavily on nuances of the different orchestral timbres: regal horn calls, the dreamlike quality of the harp, the profoundly deep buzz of the contrabassoon, the dynamic subtleties of the strings, and so on.

Duo Eclettico: saxophonist Justin Kenealy and pianist Coady Green. Image supplied.

Furthermore, Edwards says of this work on his website: “In my saxophone concerto, Full Moon Dances, a female...