The long-awaited visit of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra is a real indulgence for classical music lovers who fill the seats of the Sydney Opera House on this Sunday afternoon.

As part of its ambitious Asia-Pacific tour (Melbourne, Sydney, Auckland and Singapore), the 70-piece orchestra is led by world-renowned conductor Long Yu in a challenging orchestral program of contemporary and timeless classics.

Frying, sizzling and pot-banging are not sounds one would normally expect in a concert hall, but the program opens with a cacophony of such noises concocted by 31-year-old Elliot Leung, no doubt to evoke the hustle and bustle of a commercial kitchen.

This is Chinese Kitchen: A Feast of Flavours, commissioned by the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra in 2024. A cleverly crafted sonic realisation of Chinese cuisine, each movement of the work is based on a traditional dish, musically brought to life by the composer’s inventiveness and deft orchestration.

Long Yu’s dynamism matches the orchestra’s meticulous precision in bringing out the colourful flavours that fuelled the composer’s imagination. The percussion section is spectacular in its full synchronicity and broad palette of timbral effects.