Sublime Burleske in the Sydney Symphony's Strauss concert

By Zoltán Szabó, 08 September 2025

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“well-honed dynamic and character contrasts”

Reviewed at Sydney Opera House: Concert Hall, Sydney on 3 September 2025

Strauss R., Metamorphosen

Strauss R., Burleske in D minor for piano and orchestra

Strauss R., Also sprach Zarathustra, Op.30

Simone Young, Conductor

Andrea Lam, Piano

Sydney Symphony Orchestra

Mahler survives unusual pairing as Sydney Symphony opens new season

Jeremy Eccles, 25th February

Putting Gershwin up against Mahler is a challenge, but Simone Young and Jean-Yves Thibaudet bring it off in the Sydney Symphony's 2026 season opener.

****1

Cello whisperer Kian Soltani debuts in Sydney

Zoltán Szabó, 1st November

Terrific orchestral colours abound in this Sydney Symphony concert under Simone Young, adding to a thoughtful and emotive rendering of one of the best-known cello concertos.

****1

Daniel Müller-Schott plays Tchaikovsky with the Sydney Symphony

Zoltán Szabó, 22nd October

A delightful programme welcomes conductor Lionel Bringuier and returning cellist Daniel Müller-Schott to Sydney.

****1

18th-century fireworks from Stephen Layton and the Sydney Symphony

Sandra Bowdler, 23rd August

Stephen Layton conducts Haydn and Handel, and is joined by soprano Sara Macliver for Bach and Mozart for a joyful evening.

****1

Majestic Brahms from Sir Stephen Hough and Elim Chan in Sydney

Zoltán Szabó, 17th May

Elim Chan expertly conducts the SSO through a varied programme featuring an Australian fanfare, Russian ballet music and Brahms' First Piano Concerto with Sir Stephen Hough.

****1

This Rite was just not right: Vasily Petrenko and the Sydney Symphony

Zoltán Szabó, 27th November

After so many terrific concerts in the last few months, Petrenko's performance with the SSO does not quite fulfill expectations.

***11

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Zoltán Szabó

Zoltán Szabó is a cellist and musicologist. Having migrated from his native Hungary to Australia in 1985, he worked with the Australian Chamber Orchestra in Sydney until 1991, when he became Principal Cello with Opera Australia. In 2017, he was awarded with a Doctor of Philosophy degree (PhD). Currently, he is teaching music history and musicology at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.

Sublime Burleske and memorable imagery in the Sydney Symphony's Strauss concert