What does a country sound like? Is there a particular sound or texture that derives from the choirs and orchestras of one nation over another?

This was the question posed last night by the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra, in a programme of Australian and European works curated by guest director (and Principal Cello at the Australian Chamber Orchestra) Timo-Veikko Valve.

Assembling works of his native Finnish and adoptive Australian homelands, the cello soloist affectionately known as “Tipi” sought to explore the soundlines of both countries with works from two Australian composers, two Finns and a cameo appearance from an Austrian – Franz Schubert.

The Melbourne Chamber Orchestra and Timo-Veikko Valve. Photo © Lucien Fischer

In a bright introduction from the MCO’s artistic director Sophie Rowell, we were told to anticipate “an opera in two acts”, the first being comprised of two works that appeared to serve as breathing pieces for the ensemble. The closing movement of a 1909 tone poem by Finnish composer Ida Moberg, the brief and contemplative Stillness was, for an opening piece, rather a misleading study in restraint for a concert that would prove to be so dynamic and...