Hamer Hall, Arts Centre Melbourne
September 21, 2018

The city is electric with anticipation as the remains of a glorious spring afternoon dissolve in twilight and 95,000 excited Melbournians stream into the MCG (and the rest of them into a variety of devices). It’s been the hot topic all week: two of the old guard, Collingwood and Richmond, will tonight battle for a spot in next week’s Grand Final. A short walk away, a considerably more modest cohort is nevertheless filling Hamer Hall for a trip to the New World via old Europe, and it too promises to be a thrilling ride.

A glistening burst of colour to open: the overture to Bedřich Smetana’s The Bartered Bride (1866), a Czech village affectionately filmed by a musical camera in which festive bustle, local industry and hints of folk dances vie for musical attention. The MSO’s Cybec Assistant Conductor Tianyi Lu elicits an impressive and sprightly performance, with great clarity and distinction of parts, particularly throughout the intricate string passages. Lu, 28, is a flautist and composer whose broad musical interests encompass baroque flute and electronics, and her conducting style is characterised by a lively openness of spirit. There is no doubt that...