Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody
5 - 18 February 2026
Performance Info
New South Wales
Newcastle City Hall
Sydney Opera House
Wollongong Town Hall
City Recital Hall Sydney
Australian Capital Territory
Llewellyn Hall
South Australia
Adelaide Town Hall
Victoria
Melbourne Recital Centre
Hamer Hall Arts Centre Melbourne
Tue 26 May, 8:00pm
Book TicketsYou will be taken to an external website to finalise your ticket purchase.
Touring to Newcastle, Canberra, Sydney, Adelaide, Wollongong and Melbourne. Tickets from $49 or subscribe to save up to 35%.
"Schubert's genius lies in his ability to absorb suffering and transform it into something luminous." - Richard Tognetti
Schubert composed like an oil painter, drawing from a rich palette of melodic and harmonic colours. With a divine lyricism at its heart, his music is imbued with an intimacy and intensity that taps into the full range of human emotion.
Richard Tognetti’s affinity for Schubert is evident in every note he plays. Here, he directs an ACO ensemble featuring a handpicked selection of Australia’s top wind players in two exquisite works that showcase Schubert as a master of chamber music.
Schubert wrote his Octet to emulate his hero Beethoven’s groundbreaking septet – adding an extra violin and revelling in the textural possibilities of the winds and strings together.
The result offers the drama of a big orchestra with the agility of a small ensemble. The Octet is six movements of unbridled joy, studded with moments of darkness and poignancy that make its resolution even more satisfying.
Schubert’s beloved Fantasy in C major for violin and piano was inspired by Paganini’s brilliance and is arranged by Tognetti for the magic of the ACO octet. It is a shimmering and compelling counterpart that completes this heart-warming, life-affirming concert experience.
"If you feel alone — because of holiday anxiety, or political uncertainty, or life circumstances, or simply because you are a person — I implore you: Listen to Schubert. He offers his soul to the listener, without armor or guile. He is our best friend." - New York Times
Program
Franz Schubert (arr. Tognetti) Fantasy in C major, D.934
Franz Schubert Octet in F major, D.803
Artists
Richard Tognetti Director & Violin
Helena Rathbone Violin
Stefanie Farrands Viola
Johannes Rostamo Cello
Maxime Bibeau Double Bass
David Griffiths Clarinet
Todd Gibson-Cornish Bassoon
Carla Blackwood Horn
Thu 14 May, 6:45pm
Sat 16 May, 6:45pm
Sun 17 May, 1:15pm
Tue 19 May, 6:45pm
Thu 21 May, 6:45pm
Sat 23 May, 6:45pm
Mon 25 May, 6:45pm
Sun 24 May, 1:45pm
Tue 26 May, 7:15pm
Wed 27 May, 6:15pm
Fri 29 May, 6:15pm
Sat 30 May, 6:15pm
Subscribe to the ACO 2026 Season to save up to 35% on the cost of individual performances.
5 - 18 February 2026
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19 - 25 September 2026
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3 - 19 October 2026
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8 - 11 December 2026
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