The Australian Chamber Orchestra (ACO) have always been quick to explore different modes of presentation. In normal times, there is a subversive twang to their alternative performances, a cheeky wave as they take classical music out of the concert hall and into the wider world of video and online streaming. In COVID times, these alternatives to the concert hall have become a lifeline. Their normal operating model, built on frequent worldwide touring and live performance, is currently at the mercy of the Delta variant. But thanks to a far-sighted decision to create ACO StudioCasts, the music goes on even if the live performance doesn’t.

Australian Chamber Orchestra Tabula Rasa

Satu Vänskä in the Australian Chamber Orchestra’s Tabula Rasa film. Image supplied.

Tabula Rasa is the fifth in an eight-part series of online concerts produced by leading directors, cinematographers and video artists, conceived as an immersive, cinematic experience. Filmed on a soundstage at the Hordern Pavillion, it wraps the orchestra in images of waves, of water in motion, overwhelming and flooding the field of vision, just as the hypnotic music of Arvo Part’s Tabula Rasa floods the ears. It’s a dizzying experience:...