An untamed ride of orchestral brilliance
Presented by Adelaide Symphony Orchestra
Reviewed 6 June 2026
Concert 4 in the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra’s Symphony Series for 2026 is centred around Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony No. 8 in G Op. 88. Based as it is around the landscapes of his country estate, it serves as a perfect spine for a program themed around untamed nature. With a special emphasis on untamed. A cornucopia of melodies, themes, solos, and motifs, this is a work which remains surprising, fresh, and delightfully unpredictable. The orchestra leant into this feeling with a sense of not being sure what was happening next, and just going along with it. And this all led into the final, euphoric, last minutes.
But before we got there this superbly curated program delivered three other musical gems. The program opened with What the Wild Flowers Tell Me. This piece began life as the second movement of Symphony No. 3 by Gustav Mahler. Mahler is of course notorious for symphonies of vast scale using every instrument known to humanity. In a bid to bring Mahler to a wider audience, yet with one eye on the logistics which had prevented it thus far, in 1941 Benjamin Britten rearranged the second movement, reducing the orchestral requirements to a quiet roar and cutting it to ten minutes. Although it is hard to beat a full-Mahler-50-singers-three-harps-and-a-kitchen-sink orchestra, this whittled down arrangement allows his lyricism, which is sometimes overwhelmed, to sing clearly.
Second piece of the night brought out cellist Ivan Karizna to help deliver the divine Concerto for Cello No. 1 in E-flat Op. 107 by Shostakovich. The connection between the orchestra, conductor, and soloist, constituted a masterclass in musical performance. Resounding applause brought Karizna back for an encore, where he performed a heart-breaking piece of folk song, including singing. There was barely a dry-eye left in the house.
The second half of the program began with a new, commissioned piece, by Jakub Jankowski, who has written works for the ASO previously. Courante delivered a soundscape of the bush, using the extremes of instruments, and sounds which emulated bird song, frog calls, crashing waves, and whipping winds. This extraordinary work was enthusiastically received. Let’s hope it becomes a regular part of the ASO’s canon.
Once again, under the passionate and assured baton of Mark Wigglesworth, the ASO delivers some of the best orchestral work in the world, both in terms of musicality, and program curation. Exciting, moving, and inclusive, the ASO’s Symphony Series delivers again and again.
Adelaide is so lucky. Lucky, lucky, lucky!
Reviewed by Tracey Korsten
Venue: Adelaide Town Hall
Season: 5 & 6 June
Duration: 2 hours inc. interval
Tickets: $139 (plus booking fee)
Bookings: https://www.aso.com.au/
