West Australian Symphony Orchestra have announced their 2022 season, revealing a program that blends new works, firm favourites, new guests and old friends.
With the return of international soloists and conductors, the season places world-class talent alongside homegrown sensations, performing well-known classical works and world premieres, as well as engagements with artists honoured from cancelled concerts across 2020 and 2021.
The season opens in January with the Perth premiere of Casino Royale in Concert. James Bond’s first outing as 007 plays on the giant screen at Riverside Theatre, while the orchestra performs the score in full. WASO at the Movies continues in August with Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince in Concert.
The orchestra celebrates musical giant John Williams with a 90th Birthday Bonanza in February, featuring a selection of soundtracks from the composer’s blockbuster movies including Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park, Superman, Star Wars and more.
Principal Conductor and Artistic Adviser Asher Fisch conducts some of his favourite works with masterpieces including Britten’s War Requiem, Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, Mahler’s Third Symphony and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No.6 Pathétique, with the MACA Classics Series opener seeing the maestro perform as both conductor and soloist in Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 24.
International conductors are set to make a return to the WASO stage, with Vasily Petrenko, Pietari Inkinen and Fabien Gabel joining the orchestra across the year. Jessica Cottis conducts Dvořák’s New World Symphony, whilst Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and Saint-Saëns’ blazing Organ Symphony make appearances as classical audience favourites.
Last Night of the Proms returns with its annual cavalcade of classical hits, including beloved sing-a-longs Jerusalem and Rule, Brittania. WASO’s Easter performance tradition also returns, this year with George Frideric Handel’s ever-popular oratorio, Messiah. In September the musicians of WASO join forces with St George’s Cathedral Consort in a unique collaboration with Co3 Contemporary Dance, performing Douglas Wright’s GLORIA.
Off the back of Dreams of Place, the acclaimed side-by-side collaboration with the Western Australian Youth Orchestra, WASO presents Become Ocean in March as part of Perth Festival. Ben Northey conducts John Luther Adams’ expansive, award-winning orchestral work alongside music by Benjamin Britten and a world premiere from Olivia Davies.
WASO will also travel to Geraldton and Kalgoorlie in 2022 with a touring party of over 70 people, delivering a full symphony orchestra experience to the regions; the second year of a three-year touring commitment.
WASO will also team up with multi ARIA-award winning MC, Drapht, in November to present Drapht and WASO: How The West Was Won. Musical arrangements performed in this world premiere season are composed by WASO’s own Principal Trombone Joshua Davis, as the Orchestra and Drapht come together to celebrate the hip-hop artist’s new works and greatest hits from his 20 year career.
West Australian Symphony Orchestra have announced their 2022 season. For more info and to buy tickets head to waso.com.au
