For this concert, the Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra boasted musicians from all Australian states and territories together with several Australian expats from all over Europe and the USA, and what a fine band it was for this first concert of the Orchestra’s current eastern seaboard tour.

Titled Midsummer Dreams, the program opened with Mendelssohn’s Overture to A Midsummer Night’s Dream, followed by two symphonies: Beethoven’s 8th, with Mendelssohn’s 3rd, Scottish, following interval.

It’s a pity, though, that there were not more people in the audience to enjoy this vibrant music. Still, the enthusiasm of the 200 or so very much belied that number.

Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra: Midsummer Dreams. Photo © Bradley Kanaris

The Overture, written in the year before Beethoven’s death, when Mendelssohn was not yet 20, is youthful, witty, and mischievous, and full of magic and surprises.

Leading from the violin, conductor Rachael Beesley took the tempo at a lively, spirited pace, which saw the ensemble in perfect sync, playing with the lightest touch and deliciously delicate phrasing. The overall sound was in beautiful balance, and there was an energy that complemented Mendelssohn’s teenage writing.

Many of those qualities continued into Beethoven’s 8th Symphony...