Melbourne Symphony Orchestra | Stravinsky & Chindamo
March 19, 2026, Hamer Hall, Melbourne VIC
A Thrilling Requiem — ACT I
After a delightful entrée seduction of Ravel’s Pavane pour une infante défunte came a revelation. Reviewing and thrilling over Joe Chindamo’s premier new composition, entitled, Are There Any Questions? A requiem for the vanishing self.
The broad-shouldered Joe Chindamo, who honed his art in the cut and thrust of the jazz world, has effortlessly traversed every musical landscape, from a sideman and soloist at Bird’s Basement to the glittering magic of Hamer Hall.
How lucky are we, as an audience in Australia, that in recent years we have encountered two of the greatest large-scale Australian concert compositions ever written. One was Deborah Cheatham’s Treaty with William Barton on didgeridoo – reinventing the instrument in contemporary music. And tonight, a transcendent epic: Joe Chindamo’s Requiem.
What was remarkable about the Requiem was how thoughtful, how considered – and at the same time how deeply soulful it was.
Composition is about choices. The material included, and what is left unsaid. Chindamo demonstrates mastery: understanding instruments, harmony, melody, tonality, dissonance and atonality. Moments stood out vividly: a choir paired with solo violin, deconstructing a simple diatonic minor chord into something virtuosic and searching.
A continuous monodic block theme coloured by brass fanfares, shaped with striking dynamics – crescendos interrupted by sudden, electrifying subito contrasts. The textures, density and nuance were imaginative and deeply compelling. The choir was superbly used. The percussion, considered and precise. Yet beyond structure and design, the work had heart. Real heart.
Brave choices – echoing the restraint of Arvo Pärt – never indulgent, never excessive. The mezzo soprano lines were sparse, controlled, and deeply effective.
The Requiem remained constantly evolving: searching, teasing, demanding, yet always beautiful and lyrical.
A rare balance: intellect and soul, perfectly aligned.
A Musical Revolution — ACT II
Stravinsky, Debussy and Schoenberg unleashed a revolution that reshaped the musical world forever. Schoenberg, alongside Alban Berg and Anton Webern, dismantled tonal tradition through the radical language of the Second Viennese School and the twelve-tone system. Debussy and his contemporaries (Satie, Poulenc and Fauré) redefined harmony through Impressionism, dissolving rigid structures into colour and atmosphere. Stravinsky, muscular and perpetually modern, moved from Petrushka to the incendiary Rite of Spring, igniting the century. Late in life, even Stravinsky acknowledged Schoenberg, with works such as Abraham and Isaac paying tribute.
Igor’s 1913 Nuke
The premiere of The Rite of Spring at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées shocked Paris. Violent rhythms, dissonance, and Nijinsky’s choreography provoked chaos – boos, jeers, even fights among the audience. What was once condemned as barbaric became one of the defining masterpieces of modernism.
In the second half, Benjamin Northey and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra delivered a performance of striking clarity and power, affirming Rite of Spring as eternally fresh, eternally vital.
Look out for another performance of this concert – Saturday 20 March at 7.30pm mso.com.au
Photo credit: Mark Gambino
