Australian Chamber Orchestra . Richard Tognetti

Attending a concert by the Australian Chamber Orchestra (ACO) has been compared to "downing a glass of musical vitamins". As a consequence, this group of musicians, directed by violinist Richard Tognetti, is known everywhere for its vitality and freshness, reflected in flawless ensemble playing and an immaculate sound. Teaming up with the Swedish clarinettist Martin Fröst, the ACO demonstrates these qualities in Mozart's Clarinet Concerto. Mozart composed this work just a few months before his death, making avid use of the versatility of the clarinet, a new sprig of the woodwind family. Its supple tone and wide range of timbre inspired Mozart to write some of his most lyrical melodies. Mozart's final three symphonies saw the light of day in the summer of 1788. The Fortieth, the second of the three, is known as the 'tragic', a designation applying chiefly to the famous first movement, in which a hushed melancholy in the minor key predominates. Anything but tragic is Haydn's Fourth, which dates from the early days of the classical symphony, when works in the genre still had a three-movement structure.