Fisch leads a powerful synthesis; seemingly both familiar and new.

Perth Concert Hall

22 August 2014

This year saw Israeli-born conductor Asher Fisch take up the position of Principal Conductor of the WA Symphony Orchestra – and boy has he already made a difference. Not that WASO wasn’t already a fine orchestra; it just lacked consistency and individuality, and it’s taken Fisch, a protege of Daniel Barenboim and somebody whom the orchestra clearly adores to make real and lasting inroads into moulding a more distinctive, committed band.

One of the ideas behind performing all nine Beethoven symphonies over two weekends – a first for WASO – was to hone the orchestra’s technique within the context of a variegated yet unified body of work. It was also, of course, to allow audiences to take what could arguably be thought of as the journey of a lifetime: Beethoven’s as well as theirs.

This first concert featured Beethoven’s first two symphonies (premiered in 1800 and 1803 respectively) as preludes to the mighty Fifth, premiered in 1808. As such, it was an opportunity to hear Beethoven gradually feeling his way through the classical world of Mozart and Haydn towards an entirely new universe.

Using a...