Stravinsky’s airborne neoclassical dances; the soaring flute lines of Nielsen’s concerto; Stanhope’s wind octet, a tribute to space exploration; Beethoven’s first ascent to the symphonic stratosphere: this propulsive program draws together eclectic styles across three centuries under the heartfelt leadership of Maestro Umberto Clerici.

Igor Stravinsky’s Dances Concertantes (1941–42), written after his flight from Russia to America, is a work of neoclassical wit and elegance: music conceived for the concert hall, yet full of balletic gesture and rhythmic play. Carl Nielsen’s Flute Concerto (1926) offers a very different kind of dialogue: two movements that combine melodic warmth with mischievous humour, giving the flute a role that is both lyrical and spirited.

From contemporary Australian composer Paul Stanhope comes Apollo. Scored for wind octet and percussion, this piece is a radiant homage to the ‘Apollonian’ style of Stravinsky. The program concludes with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 1 in C major, the composer’s confident entry into the symphonic tradition.