With international star violinist and guest director Patricia Kopatchinskaja a late withdrawal through injury, the Australian Chamber Orchestra had a few short weeks to come up with a replacement.

Artistic Director Richard Tognetti was otherwise engaged, so he had to look to the impressive strengths of his core members to fill the gap and carry on the orchestra’s 50th anniversary season in what turns out to be a golden concert.

Three of those players – two seasoned directors in Satu Vänskä and Helena Rathbone as well as recently graduated member Anna da Silva Chen – open the program with a sparkling performance of JS Bach’s Triple Concerto in D major. The work as we know it today was reconstructed from a version for three harpsichords and features seamless counterpoint between the three players with the lead role and solos being shared democratically.

Satu Vänskä: ACO Unleashed. Photo © Nic Walker

The joyful opening movement, largely led by Vänskä, shows the three voices to be well matched, though each with its individual personality. The melting Adagio plays off beautifully above the cellos while the Allegro finale allows each player to show...