Sir Simon Rattle and wife Magdalena Kožená struck down with virus just hours before Melbourne performance.

As one of the most hotly anticipated orchestral events of 2015, and given the astonishing calibre displayed by the Australian World Orchestra as they opened their season under the baton of Sir Simon Rattle at the Sydney Opera House last week, Victorian music lovers flocked in their droves to the Melbourne Arts Centre’s Hamer Hall for the AWO’s third and final performance of its tour on Saturday evening. However illness threatened to derail the sold-out Melbourne performance, as the concert’s soloist, Sir Simon’s wife Magdalena Kožená, and the great British maestro himself were struck down with flu just hours before the performance.

Mezzo soprano Kožená was forced to withdraw from the performance, meaning Australian composer Brett Dean’s newly orchestrated arrangements of Debussy’s Ariettes Oubliées (Forgotten Songs) was not able to receive its Victorian premiere. Sir Simon, who was running a high fever, did however conduct the remaining two pieces of the programme, Debussy’s l’après-midi d’un faune, and Bruckner’s Symphony No. 8, although he needed to conduct portions of the performance while seated.

Addressing the packed auditorium to announce his wife’s unfortunate withdrawal shortly before the...