The Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra joined with musicians from the Australian National Academy of Music in a concert of epic scale, featuring Strauss to Stravinsky in the Federation Concert Hall.

The stage was full – among abundant sections of strings and brass we were also graced with two harps and an organ – and Ligeti’s Lontano opened the night. The piece was slow to unravel, and wrapped its way around the concert hall as the musicians dispersed its sound. In this way, it gave space for us to observe the physical sensation of the music in our ears. Sustained, drone-like tones from the orchestra seemed to resonate deep within our heads and, through this immersion, forced us to observe the concept of sound. This is perhaps a reason that parts of the 1967 work found its way into films such as The Shining and Shutter Island – each drawing us into psychologically complex journeys of the mind.

The work was painstakingly slow but never dull – instead, we could move with it between each instrumental section and admire their impressive timbres. The piece eventually evolved into a wave of sound with controlled intonation from the group (despite often grotesque dissonances). It was...