The Elisabeth Murdoch Hall is packed to the rafters for the MSO’s Strauss & Mozart. The drawcard is undoubtedly the soloist: Melburnians are more than a little curious to see the MSO’s hugely popular Chief Conductor and Artistic Advisor Jaime Martín brandishing a flute instead of a baton to play Mozart’s first flute concerto in G major.

Martín has graced Melbourne stages countless times, but never as a flautist. Before becoming a conductor, however, he was a sought-after flautist, and his discography includes a recording of Mozart’s flute concertos with Sir Neville Marriner and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields.

He could not receive a warmer welcome as he mounts the podium to conduct the opening work, Bach’s Third Orchestral Suite in D major. The MSO plays the lively suite with great verve and finesse, and the celebratory mood continues.

Martín looks bemused when he returns to the stage with a flute, but there is not a sliver of doubt that he owns the performance. Mozart’s Flute Concerto in G major sparkles, and the chemistry between the MSO and its leader – and between Martín and the audience – ensures the performance is also emotionally engaging.

Jaime Martín and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. Photo © Nico Keenan

Taking his bow, Martín says that, although it is his first time playing the flute on that stage, he feels as if he was at home. The feeling is mutual; he has clearly become a beloved member of Melbourne’s musical family. For an encore, he plays the gentle Andante from Telemann’s Methodical Sonata in E minor with MSO Principal Cellist David Berlin. After the sparkle of the concerto, this serene duet, played with consummate skill, brings calm to the hall.

The second half of the program is devoted to Richard Strauss’s orchestral suite Le Bourgeois gentilhomme, which he salvaged from a failed theatrical production. The original play by Molière satirised the efforts of a would-be gentleman to improve his station. Strauss conveys the antics of the various tutors and the gentleman’s vain and futile efforts to master the trappings of nobility with brilliant orchestration. Each character has a distinct musical personality. This performance reveals the depth of talent in the MSO, with special mention going to Concertmaster Natalie Chee for her virtuosic interpretation of the tailors’ dance in a dazzling solo.

This evening is an object lesson in the art of storytelling, with Maestro Martín and the MSO creating memories of pure happiness.