Work: Flamma

Jump-in concerts can occasionally advance career prospects. Jonathan Bloxham with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen demonstrated the lightness of Mendelssohn in C minor but seriously underplayed the darkness of Schubert in B minor.

The conductor guided us on a tour through a museum where Erkki-Sven Tüür, Mozart and Brahms reside in spheres of different shades and spaces – and yet each remain enclosed in a prefigured structure.

It takes a special orchestra to perform standard repertoire in a completely revelatory way. Having heard Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony performed by the Australian Chamber Orchestra, I almost feel like I do not want to hear it performed in any other way again. There were several unique aspects to their performance.