As if the recent concert production of Richard Wagner’s Siegfried wasn’t enough to cap off Sydney Symphony Orchestra’s current season, Chief Conductor Simone Young places the cherry firmly on the cake with this stellar performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.

New Zealand tenor Simon O’Neill, fresh from his triumphant role as Siegfried, returns to the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall stage to join a trio of home-grown soloists – soprano Lauren Fagan (a late replacement for Samantha Clarke), mezzo Deborah Humble and bass Samuel Dundas – but the stars of the show are the 200-plus voices of the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs and the 80 members of the orchestra.

And, of course, Young herself. She nurtures, moulds and guides this performance which combines electric energy with refined sensitivity.

Sydney Symphony Orchestra: Beethoven’s Ninth. Photo © Jay Patel

Not everything goes off as planned, however. William Barton, whose choral work Ayatku Muruu (One Country) was commissioned by Young and the SSO as a companion piece for the concert, is notably absent due to his flight being delayed. Fortunately, he was not due to perform in this...