Dates
Thursday 12 March 2026
7:30pm at Hamer Hall
Friday 13 March 2026
7:30pm at Costa Hall, Geelong
Saturday 14 March 2026
2:00pm at Hamer Hall
Duration
Approx. 2 hours including a 20-minute interval
Accessibility
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Wheelchair, walker and scooter accessible
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Assistive listening devices available
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Service animals allowed
Program
Melody Eötvös The Deciding Machine*
Beethoven Violin Concerto
R. Strauss Also sprach Zarathustra
*Australian Premiere
About this performance
Experience a program where historical breakthroughs meet raw, physical sound. We invite you to the Australian premiere of The Deciding Machine by Melody Eötvös. Composed in 2020, this work marks a dual tribute to the centenary of women’s suffrage and the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth. The title honours Ada Lovelace, the 19th-century visionary who wrote the world’s first computer algorithm.
To complement this tribute to innovation, we are pairing the work with Beethoven’s only Violin Concerto, featuring the brilliant Spanish violinist María Dueñas. While her recording with Deutsche Grammophon is stunning, nothing compares to the electricity of hearing her play it live.
The evening reaches its peak with a work designed to be felt as much as heard. If you’ve ever been awestruck by the bold horn calls and thunderous timpani of 2001: A Space Odyssey, this is your chance to experiencing the feeling of that music resonating through your entire body.
Under the baton of Chief Conductor Jaime Martín, Strauss’ heroic Also sprach Zarathustra will be brought to life in all its visceral glory.
Featuring
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
Jaime Martín conductor
María Dueñas violin
Enhance your experience
Want to learn more about the music being performed? Arrive early for an informative and entertaining pre-concert talk.
12 March at 6:45pm
14 March at 1:15pm
Hamer Hall Stalls Foyer
13 March at 6:45pm
Costa Hall, Geelong
Supporters
MSO's Geelong performance is supported by AWM Electrical, Freemasons Foundation Victoria, the Estate of the Late Blanch Brooke Hutchings, and Perpetual Foundation – Alan (AGL) Shaw Endowment.
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AWM Electrical
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Freemasons Victoria
Featured artists
Jaime Martín’s Chief Conductor Chair is supported by the Besen Family Foundation.