In the first half of this program, Artistic Director Sophie Rowell pairs Rameau’s Suite from Six Concerts en Sextuor with CPE Bach’s Harpsichord Concerto, the latter arranged and performed by the gifted classical accordionist James Crabb.

The orchestra plays the Suite with verve and grace, bringing to life Rameau’s musical sketches, including, most notably, a sentimental Cupid and a fast-pecking chook.

Crabb’s decision to arrange CPE Bach’s harpsichord concerto for the accordion is inspired. In Crabb’s hands, the solos have remarkable clarity and fluency, though in quieter moments the accordion folds almost imperceptibly into the ensemble.

Melbourne Chamber Orchestra and James Crabb: Under the Canopy. Photo © Lucien Fischer

First Nations composer Aaron Wyatt bases Under the Canopy on the temperate rainforests around his Melbourne home, and the Recital Centre’s timber-lined Hall proves the ideal setting for an MCO-commissioned premiere evoking a state of calm but colourful harmony.

Delicate, wispy trills flutter spasmodically over deep, slow-moving melodies, while a gentle rhythmic pulse causes the music to inhale and exhale like a giant, placid creature in repose. Wyatt’s atmospheric soundscape is a welcome addition to a growing repertoire of Australian ‘landscape’ music.

Crabb then returns to the stage for two quite different musical offerings: Argentinian-born composer Tomás Gubitsch’s In a Tango State of Mind and Crabb’s own arrangement of four traditional Scottish songs.

Gubitsch’s concerto tells the story of the tango, drawing on three muses: philosopher Baruch Spinoza, poet Antonio Machado and Jimi Hendrix. Hendrix’s influence is evident in the first movement, Anger, where the accordion holds sway against the lower strings’ growling bass line and the upper strings’ shrill, voice-like outbursts.

Melbourne Chamber Orchestra and James Crabb: Under the Canopy. Photo © Lucien Fischer

The lyrical Tristesse showcases Crabb’s musicality and the accordion’s singular tone, which succeeds in both cutting through and blending with the string sound. In the dramatic finale, Sin parar, the accordion and the ensemble seem to be embroiled in an urgent, complex dance that showcases Crabb’s mesmerising dexterity and ensemble playing.

The four Scottish songs include the popular Da Trowie Burn, by the German violinist Friedemann Stickle, who is said to have been thrown overboard because of his playing but manages to wash ashore safely in Shetland.

Niel Gow’s Lament on the Death of his Second Wife is a concert highpoint, with Crabb and concertmaster Rowell collaborating in a searingly beautiful duo.

Struan Robertson’s jumpy Rant ensures the concert ends on a high note, though calm is restored with the encore, Lullaby.

Melbourne Chamber Orchestra presents Under the Canopy at Her Majesty’s Theatre, Ballarat on 10 July, Wydham Cultural Centre, Werribee on 11 July and at Elisabeth Murdoch Hall, Melbourne Recital Centre on 12 July, 2.30pm.