Moving again to the maximal after presenting 2024’s Chamber Concert series with counter tenor Andreas Scholl, The Australian World Orchestra will be back in full force in 2025, revisiting the works of Gustav Mahler.

Following mesmerising performances of Mahler’s Ninth Symphony in 2023, AWO Artistic Director and Chief Conductor Alexander Briger will lead the Australian World Orchestra in Mahler’s Fourth and Fifth symphonies, an ambitious program (a Mahlerfest, no less) which will see Australia’s best orchestral musicians onstage for over two hours. 

“This concert is a testament to the exceptional quality of the Australian World Orchestra, comprised of the finest musicians from Australia and around the globe,” said Briger. “By performing these two symphonies in one evening, we aim to create an unforgettable experience that celebrates the power of music to transcend boundaries and touch the soul.”

For Briger, that’s no hyperbole. He has been under Mahler’s spell since, as a 12-year-old, he heard his uncle, Sir Charles Mackerras, conduct the Fourth Symphony.

“As soon as the Adagio started, I was hooked,” Briger told Limelight’s Clive Paget in 2023. “That’s when I said, ‘I have to do what my uncle is doing, and I have to conduct that piece of music at least once in my life.’”

Years later, Briger realised a dream when he was invited to conduct Mahler Four with the London Philharmonic in 2008. 

Alexander Briger conducts the Australian World Orchestra. Photo © Prudence Upton

Mahler’s Fourth and Fifth Symphonies are monumental and revered works. A back-to-back presentation of the 4th and 5th in a single concert has never been performed in Australia before and only rarely internationally. The pairing creates a compelling narrative that, Briger believes, will resonate with audiences.

Symphony No. 4 in G Major, composed between 1899 and 1901, is distinct within Mahler’s repertoire for its light, whimsical nature. An evocation of innocence and simplicity, it famously culminates in a soprano’s rendition of Das himmlische Leben (The Heavenly Life). Renowned performances of the 4th, such as Leonard Bernstein’s with the New York Philharmonic, noted for its emotional depth and clarity, and Claudio Abbado’s with the Berlin Philharmonic, celebrated for its precision and warmth, have become benchmarks.

Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 in C-sharp minor, composed between 1901 and 1902, is a departure from the lightness of the 4th and one that embraces a more dramatic and complex structure. Renowned for its emotional intensity and rich orchestration, it traverses a range of moods, culminating in the famous Adagietto, a serene and lyrical movement often interpreted as a love letter to Mahler’s wife, Alma.

Each year,  Australian World Orchestra brings together Australia’s finest classical musicians from across Australia and around the world. For the musicians involved, it is a highly anticipated date on the calendar, a welcome opportunity to reconnect with friends and colleagues. At the same time, the AWO education program helps foster the next generation of Australian musicians to step out on to the international stage.

The Australian World Orchestra. Photo © Helga Salwe

The AWO’s musicians are drawn from the world’s leading orchestras including the Berlin Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the London Symphony Orchestra. 

AWO regular and Principal Oboe Nick Deutsch has played in orchestras and ensembles across Germany, including the Munich Philharmonic and the radio orchestras of Cologne, Stuttgart, Frankfurt, and Berlin. He has also played in many of Europe’s leading opera houses.

The Australian World Orchestra project is close to his heart, Deutsche told Limelight. “I have been involved since the beginning,” he says. “I’ve known Alexander Briger for a very long time, and I helped him put the original orchestra together back in 2010, just by sending word out to the people who were around me. I remember at the time being quite shocked to see how many Aussies there were, playing all over Europe and making their mark on the musical world.”

Coming back to Australia to perform with the AWO is always cause for celebration, Deutsch adds. “It’s also for us to reconnect with Australian audiences and give back in some ways. I feel it’s my duty to give the younger generation some of the things we would have wished for back in the day: chances to meet and hear musicians who have been there, done that, and trodden the path.”

Violinist Natalie Chee is another AWO stalwart. Working in Europe as Concertmaster of Cologne’s Gürzenich Orchestra, Chee has also been guest concertmaster for the BBC Symphony Orchestra.

“The really special thing about the orchestra is just this pride and this joy of being Australians together on stage, and making the most amazing music,” she told Limelight. “There’s a collective consciousness in the orchestra that just multiplies. Every musician brings their own energy, and the sum is greater than the parts.”

Australian World Orchestra plays Mahler’s Fourth Symphony and Fifth Symphony on 3 September at Hamer Hall, Melbourne; 4 September in the Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House.
For bookings and information visit australianworldorchestra.com.au

To receive an exclusive presale offer, sign up to receive Limelight‘s Special Announcements emails by Friday 15 November, 7am AEDT.