In demand internationally as both a concert violinist and conductor, Riccardo Minasi’s Brisbane debut on the podium is characterised by his historically informed interpretations alongside an exhilarating and flamboyant conducting style.

Queensland Symphony Orchestra (QSO) offers three musically diverse works by Respighi, Higgins and Strauss, linked by colourful and evocative imagery. These works leap off the page under the baton of the celebrated Minasi, who gives a thoroughly absorbing and entertaining rendition.

Inspired by three of Botticelli’s most famous works of art, the concert commences with Respighi’s delightful Trittico Botticelliano, aptly demonstrating the colourful textures of the composer’s orchestration.

Minasi repositions some of the normally accepted orchestral placements, with first and second violins facing each other on either side of the conductor, while the double basses effectively swap places with harp, piano and celeste. In the Respighi and Strauss, this seems to give greater clarity to the instrumentation alongside a focused orchestral sonority.

Riccardo Minasi and the Queensland Symphony Orchestra. Photo © QSO

Minasi sets the tone of the evening from the first notes. With exacting precision in the opening bars...