The Sydney Symphony Orchestra Kicks Off Its 2019 Season

The opening bars of Richard Strauss' Thus Spake Zarathustra will signal the start of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra's 2019 Season as Australia's premier orchestra returns to the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall Stage with its Season Opening Gala concert on 8 and 9 February.

Chief Conductor and Artistic Director David Robertson will lead the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in a program featuring Strauss' Thus Spake Zarathustra, Australian composer Nigel Westlake's Spirit of the Wild - Oboe Concerto and Percy Grainger's The Warriors. Principal Oboe Diana Doherty will take the stage in Spirit of the Wild - Oboe Concerto, performing as soloist and bringing to life the piece that was specifically written to demonstrate her dynamic virtuosity.

"I am thrilled to have the opportunity to play Nigel Westlake's Spirit of the Wild again this week," said Doherty. "I love this work and its strong message of the preciousness of our Earth. Each chance to play it is a chance to dive deeper into its many layers and push my limits a little further. That the Sydney Symphony has chosen to program Spirit of the Wild in its 2019 Season Opening Gala is an unbelievable honour for me, and a testament to Nigel Westlake's genius."

The strength of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra's 2019 Season is indicative of the year to come, with a variety of performances including Australian premieres and multi-disciplinary works such as Tom Stoppard and André Previn's Every Good Boy Deserves Favour (22 and 23 November). The season will also mark David Robertson's valedictory year as Chief Conductor and Artistic Director with the orchestra.

In 2019, Robertson will present nine programs of massive works, including the Australian premiere of Steve Reich's Music for Ensemble and Orchestra (13, 15, 16 February), co-commissioned by the Sydney Symphony and five global orchestras. On 21, 22 and 25 February, Robertson and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra will be joined by trumpeter Wynton Marsalis and his Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra for the Australian premiere of Marsalis' The Jungle - Symphony No.4.

Composed specifically for Doherty, Spirit of the Wild - Oboe Concerto received its world premiere with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in 2017 and was also performed in Beijing during an international tour to China in the same year. To celebrate the Sydney Symphony Orchestra's 2019 Season Opening Gala, ABC Classic will release a recording featuring the world premiere recording of Spirit of the Wild - Oboe Concerto and Steve Reich's The Desert Music on 8 February, 2019.