The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra has announced Part Two of its 2021 Season with a program of big-hitter classic composers and a decent helping of new music. If the press release suggests a comparatively conservative approach with a reliance on mainstream repertoire, there’s plenty of interest if you dig deep into the online calendar.

The easing of restrictions means that the Melbourne stage can now accommodate a larger orchestra with choral singing also allowed. That puts Tchaikovsky, Mahler and Stravinsky all back on the menu, and the season opens with a big bang in the shape of Orff’s epic and lusty Carmina Burana. The MSO Chorus will perform alongside the National Boys Choir of Australia and the Australian Girls Choir, with Lawrence Renes conducting and a stellar trio of soloists: Helena Dix, Kanen Breen and Warwick Fyfe.

If you need to hear another Beethoven Four or Five, Ravel’s Boléro, Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez, or bits of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker, all are there, but perhaps more compelling is the line-up of soloists, which includes cellist Li-Wei Qin and Timo-Veikko Valve, violinist Christian Li, and...