Sydney Philharmonia Choirs Maestro Brett Weymark has never been one to shy away from a challenge. Next week he tackles William Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast, one of the biggest, most brazen choral masterpieces in the canon with the combined forces of Sydney Philharmonia Choir and Festival Chorus plus Australian baritone and musical dramatist extraordinaire Peter Coleman-Wright.

Rather than take away the sons he might beget to be eunuchs in the palace of the King of Babylon, we thought it kinder to invite Brett to a musical feast of a different sort by asking him to face the Limelight trial by 20 questions.

1) Three pieces of music you love

Richard Strauss’ Four Last Songs closely followed by Mahler’s Five Rückert Lieder
Bach’s B Minor Mass
Monteverdi Vespers

2) Three recordings everyone should own

Monteverdi Vespers conducted by Sir John Eliot Gardiner
Elgar Cello Concerto with Jacqueline DuPré
Any recording of Peter Grimes

3) Three musical heroes

Sir Simon Rattle for energy
Sir John Eliot Gardiner for intellect
Leonard Bernstein for inspiration

4) Three really underrated composers

Gerald Finzi
Paul Hindemith
Dominic Argento

5) An underrated piece of music

Hindemith: When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d: A Requiem for those we love
Gossec: Requiem

6) Three pieces of music you could...