The West Australian Symphony Orchestra presented a concert full of life, as they performed works from Mendelssohn, Tchaikovsky, Bizet and Vine, led by conductor Thaddeus Huang. Joining them on stage for Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E Minor was Harry Bennetts, who, together with Huang, brought a sense of novel energy to an exciting program.

Thaddeus Huang and the West Australian Symphony Orchestra. Photo courtesy of WASO 

The concert opened with Carl Vine’s V, a five-minute fanfare originally commissioned by WASO in 2003 to celebrate the orchestra’s 75th birthday. Rhythmic and thematic, the piece set the pace for the remainder of the evening and was a fitting precursor to the older works to come. It was also nice to see a return performance of a contemporary work, which can be a rarity in current times. The percussion section was a particular highlight in the piece, maintaining the high energy and epic proportions of the work.

At this point, violin soloist Harry Bennetts emerged to perform the Mendelssohn. Playing with a light and bright tone, he navigated all three movements with a graceful lyricism which particularly suited the slower moments. The second movement...