Adelaide Symphony Orchestra’s (ASO) new initiative Festival Of Orchestra will act as the centrepiece for the company’s July-December season for 2021.
The Festival Of Orchestra is an Australian first, featuring six concerts celebrating the world’s greatest orchestral music from the concert hall, Broadway, dance club, rock arena and silver screen.
Adelaide Showground will be the hub for the festival’s sunset concerts, with the central arena featuring the orchestra live on stage with a capacity for 5,000 patrons each night.
“Festival Of Orchestra, or FOFO, takes the ASO out of the concert hall and onto the Main Arena of one of the state’s best-loved venues,” ASO Managing Director Vincent Ciccarello says.
“We’re bringing back ‘Symphony Under The Stars’, in the form of our opening night 'Classical Spectacular', complete with cannons and fireworks,” he says. “We have the ‘Ministry Of Sound Orchestrated’, the epic ‘Carmina Burana’ with massed choirs, a special night of highlights from Broadway musicals. And we’ll be joining forces again with SA’s own The Angels, before the festival culminates in the BBC’s extraordinary ‘Blue Planet II’ with a score by Hans Zimmer and special guest narrator.”
In addition to the Festival Of Orchestra, there’ll be more unmissable masterpieces to witness throughout the remainder of the year. . . Whether you’re into classics in the Symphony Series or wanting an introduction through ‘Classics Unwrapped’. Choose the Meditation Series if you need a pick-me-up or even be transported to a galaxy far, far away in the cinematic John Williams spectacular ‘Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi In Concert’.
Principal Guest Conductor Mark Wigglesworth returns to conduct the orchestra for ‘Dreams And Passions’, ‘Classical Spectacular’ and ‘Carmina Burana’.
“When the ASO is fortunate enough to work with Mark, it always ends up being a moving, memorable experience,” ASO Associate Concertmaster Cameron Hill says. “He can draw the orchestra in with the smallest of gestures, and has the ability to build and shape the music beautifully. There is a real freshness about his interpretations! “
The Festival Of Orchestra kicks off with a ‘Classical Spectacular’, featuring some of the greatest orchestral music ever created.
'Symphony Of Angels'
Meanwhile, the iconic Ministry Of Sound celebrates its 30th anniversary this year as London’s first super club. ‘Ministry Of Sound: Classical’ celebrates some of the most beloved dance floor moments of the last 25 years, rearranged, remixed and reimagined with ASO. The show features Adelaide’s own DJ Groove Terminator (GT) aka Simon Lewicki, and is supported with a warm-up set from DJ John Course.
A complete performance of ‘Carmina Burana’ is always epic. It’s a big, bold celebration of life, love and the pleasures of the flesh and the grape. From the opening chorus ‘O Fortuna’, it’s an unforgettable experience. ASO will be joined by Young Adelaide Voices, The Elder Conservatorium Chorale, Graduate Singers and a cast of vocal soloists.
Then, it’s time for ‘A Night On Broadway’, a musical theatre showcase starring a line-up of Australian musical theatre royalty including Amy Lehpamer, performing ‘Music Of The Night’ from ‘Phantom Of The Opera’, ‘Bring Him Home’ from ‘Les Miserables’, ‘Defying Gravity’ from ‘Wicked’, ‘Back To Before’ from ‘Ragtime’, ‘If I Loved You’ from ‘Carousel’ and ‘Let It Go’ from ‘Frozen’. . . All under the sparkling direction of Guy Noble.
“Broadway music just wears its heart on its sleeve. It’s like taking a ride on ‘Aladdin’’s magic carpet through a world of high emotion. Most shows have very small orchestras made up of keyboards, but to hear the big songs with the full power of the Adelaide Symphony – that’s a whole new world,” Guy says.
The symphonic spectacular ‘Symphony Of Angels’ will satisfy the classic rock enthusiasts as ASO will be joined on stage by Brewster brothers John and Rick, ice Norton and Sam Brewster, and lead man Dave Gleeson.
75 ASO musicians will take you through The Angels’ greatest works in a 20-song spectacular: ‘Take A Long Line’, ‘Marseilles’, ‘After The Rain’, ‘Be With You’, and ‘Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again’. . . To name a few!
From icy, polar seas to pulsating coral reefs, ‘Blue Planet II - Live In Concert’ features film sequences presented on a state-of-the-art LED screen as ASO performs the music of Hans Zimmer on the final evening of the Festival Of Orchestra.
Adelaide Symphony Orchestra’s Festival Of Orchestra runs from 26 November-4 December. Check out more information on their July-December events.
