Sydney Symphony Orchestra Brings Vibrant Summer Concerts to Sydney Town Hall
This summer, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra brings the magic of orchestral music to the heart of our beautiful city. Across two days in February, the exquisite Sydney Town Hall comes to life with four captivating performances, all offered at accessible price points to welcome new and returning audiences. Led by British-born conductor James Judd, praised for his “elegant and purposeful direction” (Gramophone), these concerts offer four very different ways to experience the Sydney Symphony. But common to them all is a great orchestra performing incredible music.
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On Friday the 13th, hear classical music’s dark and sinister side in a lunchtime and evening program of hair-raising, spine-tingling masterpieces. In Lunchtime Classics with the Sydney Symphony (12.30pm), the Sydney Town Hall Grand Organ roars to life with Bach’s iconic Toccata and Fugue, while Dukas’ The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (made famous by Disney’s Fantasia) is musical mischief in motion, full of tiptoeing winds, glinting glockenspiel and sudden brass jolts. Iconic moments from cinema show how Bernard Herrmann and John Williams need only a few notes to set the pulse racing in Jaws and Psycho.
That evening, Spooky Classics with the Sydney Symphony (7pm) transforms Sydney Town Hall into a musical house of horrors. From the swirling dread of Mussorgsky’s Night on Bald Mountain to the stabbing strings of Psycho, this concert explores some of the most atmospheric and unforgettable music in the repertoire. Tension builds in Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet before culminating in the ghoulish frenzy of Berlioz’s Dream of a Witches’ Sabbath.
Then on Valentine’s Day, hear striking and beautiful music in two contrasting performances: a morning concert designed for those who prefer a relaxed experience, and a date night to remember. In Relaxed Classics with the Sydney Symphony (10.30am), audiences can enjoy some of the orchestral canon’s most recognisable works in a laid-back environment with reduced lighting and freedom to move. It is ideal for families, first-time attendees and anyone seeking a gentler way to experience classical music
In the evening, Romantic Classics with the Sydney Symphony (7pm) celebrates the many ways love inspires and moves us. Hear music steeped in romance and longing, from Tchaikovsky’s beloved ballets Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty to Ennio Morricone’s Theme from Cinema Paradiso and the expressive sound-worlds of John Williams. The night culminates in Wagner’s Prelude and Liebestod from Tristan and Isolde, one of the most profound musical expressions of love ever created. This is the place to lose yourself in a musical fantasy for a couple of hours.
This vibrant Summer Series at Sydney Town Hall (13 & 14 February) offers a welcoming, accessible and engaging way to experience the Sydney Symphony across four unforgettable concerts, all led by acclaimed conductor James Judd. It is a joyful summer invitation to experience orchestral music at its most colourful and compelling.