Sunday – November 18, 2018
We were very lucky to get tickets to an afternoon performance of the Australian Chamber Orchestra. They played two of our favorite Beethoven pieces in the magnificent Concert Hall of the Sydney Opera House.
We attended a pre-concert lecture given by Francis Merson who was the former editor of an Australian classical music magazine. The lecture was held in the “North Foyer” overlooking beautiful Sydney Harbor.
It was an excellent talk about Beethoven’s life and Mr. Merson explained the story of the two pieces: Beethoven’s Violin Concerto and the beautiful 5th Symphony. After the lecture, we had enough time to find our seats in the concert hall.
I was surprised that there were seat behind the orchestra and on both sides. I don’t know what the sound would be like in those areas. This is a photo I took from our seats facing the orchestra. This is the largest concert hall at the SOH with more than 2,000 seats.
Another surprise was that the musicians of the Chamber Orchestra stood up during the entire performance (except the cellists). The conductor was Richard Tognetti who played the violin while conducting. It was an incredible performance! And a real treat!
This is a view of the city of Sydney looking from the Opera House. There was a different cruise ship in the harbor every other day.
The Opera House at night:
