This Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra’s concert at Angel Place was a triumph for the 20-strong string section. The program was titled Northern Serenades, although they ventured a bit further south with Hugo Wolf’s Italian Serenade. It could also have been dubbed The Other Side Of… in that most of the music revealed a different side to a number of composers than the one we usually encounter in concert halls today. Some of the content could be called ‘palm court’ fare but not one bar ever descended to the insipid, sentimental or bland. This inspired program was an absolute tonic during dark times.

Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra perform their Northern Serenades program. Photo © Robert Catto.

The concert was focused squarely on the genre of the serenade, short instrumental works for strings full of tunes and expressive writing, hugely popular in the late 19th century but less in vogue today, both for contemporary composers and orchestral programmers. It is music where no section of the ensemble can hide, and these players set an impressive standard which never wavered throughout the evening.

Gustav...