In 2019 I was jolted by a concert of classical music. This was a rare occurrence. When Teodor Currentzis directed his Siberian ensemble MusicAeterna in a performance of Verdi’s Requiem at New York’s multi-disciplinary space The Shed last November, the experience was so powerful that for a moment, I forgot that I’d considered the work to be a museum piece. Currentzis’ reading of this 1874 mass for the dead was at once relevant, contemporary, and life affirming. I was awakened by the immediacy and urgency that Currentzis brought to it. I was not alone. The sold-out audiences of hipsters and traditionalists were with me. Sure, Currentzis was fortunate in this instance. Verdi’s palpable operatic dramatics were on his side. But how many Verdi Requiems have we sat through for our world to remain yet again unchanged? Trying to find the vitality in museum pieces is a challenge, but, for musicians in the 21st century it is also the mandate. So why am I telling you this?

The Norwegian Soloists’ Choir. Photo supplied

At this year’s Adelaide Festival, Tido Visser, the Artistic and Managing Director of Netherlands Chamber Choir, presented his project 150...