The challenge of any modern orchestra is that of bringing music to the people. Following a legacy of elitism in which concert tickets were once the reserve of the well-dressed and well-fed, orchestras are now curating programmes of accessible works at affordable prices.

In the 2020s, you no longer need a top hat and tails to enjoy an evening of Bruckner.

Such is the mission statement of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra’s Quick Fix at Half Six, presenting a showcase of works by popular composers with a school night-friendly timeslot. Last night’s performance of the “Manfred” Overture by Schumann and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6, led by visiting conductor Anja Bihlmaier, was a stellar showcase of charisma and coordination.

Anja Bihlmaier. Photo © Nikolaj Lund

Marking her first visit to Australian shores, German maestra Bihlmaier extracted from the MSO a bravado rendition of two works she highlighted in her midpoint oratory as “very serious stuff”. Citing the diagnosis of bi-polar suffered by Schumann, Bihlmaier paid respect to his “very dark visions and dark feelings, switching from one to the next.”

Her recognition of the composer’s turbulent psychological foundations radiated throughout her translation of his...