Event overview
Promo Code
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Standard
$75-$145
Concession
$70-$145
Child (under 18)
$20
Relaxed Performance: General Admission
$35 Standard & Concession / $15 Child
$8 transaction fee / order
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Available as part of the Thursday Night Plus & Saturday Night Series.
Individual tickets available from 14 October 2026 at 10am
Dates
Thursday 01 July 2027
7:30pm at Hamer Hall
Friday 02 July 2027
7:30pm at Hamer Hall Relaxed performance
Saturday 03 July 2027
7:30pm at Hamer Hall
Duration
Approx. 1 hour and 50 minutes 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
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Companion Card accepted
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Relaxed performance
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Visual story
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Quiet space available
About this performance
Program
Bach (arr. Davis) Prelude and Fugue "St Anne"
Purcell (arr. Williams) Music For a While
Butterworth (arr. Williams) Six Songs from a Shropshire Lad
Vaughan Williams Symphony No.2 London
About this performance
A chilly November afternoon in Bloomsbury Square. The scurry of street traffic. Big Ben chimes in the distance.
Vaughan Williams pushed back on literal interpretations of his second symphony, saying it was simply, “a symphony by a Londoner”. The work is more a meditation on a memory than a portrait of a place, allowing the listener to feel the spirit and atmosphere of the city.
The symphony was dedicated to the composer’s close friend George Butterworth, who died during the Battle of the Somme in 1916 aged just 31. In his lifetime Butterworth had shared Vaughan Williams’ gift of lyricism, nostalgia, and a wistful evocation of the English landscape in his compositions – such as in his Six Songs from a Shropshire Lad. Acclaimed British baritone and skilled arranger Roderick Williams joins the MSO to perform his own arrangements of the Six Songs, as well as his orchestration of Henry Purcell’s 1692 work, Music for a While. English conductor Andrew Manze returns to the MSO for the first time since 2017.
Perhaps the most cherished Englishman of all, in the eyes of our community, is the late MSO Conductor Laureate Sir Andrew Davis. Our former Chief Conductor (a lifelong devotee to Bach’s organ works) in all his affability and intellect, arranged Bach as only he could – transforming the St Anne Prelude and Fugue into an enormously colourful and nuanced symphonic iteration.
Featuring
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
Andrew Manze conductor
Roderick Williams baritone
Relaxed Performance: Friday 2 July
Relaxed performances are designed to be a safe space for audiences of all ages. This performance is tailored to those for whom the traditional concert hall experience may be inaccessible.
As a concertgoer, you can expect:
- A downloadable visual story emailed to ticket holders ahead of the concert
- A relaxed attitude to noise and movement during the concert
- Lights to stay on during the concert
- Open doors and chill-out break areas
- General admission seating with space for freedom of movement
- Friendly, trained staff
The MSO's relaxed performances receive funding from the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing.
Partners
The MSO is proud to be a member of the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower program.
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Sunflower
Enhance your experience
Want to learn more about the music being performed? Arrive early for an informative and entertaining pre-concert talk.
1 July at 6:45pm
2 July at 6:45pm
3 July at 6:45pm
Hamer Hall Stalls Foyer
