Mahler and FCO at their best

Freo Today. 25 March 2024. Well, what a performance. Yesterday afternoon, in St Patrick’s Basilica, Fremantle, the Fremantle Chamber Orchestra conducted by John Keene (disguised here as a Palm Sunday palm frond) played the first and third movements of Mahler’s Fourth Symphony as many have never heard it before. The FCO was at its very best and received a deserved standing ovation from in excess of 250 concertgoers at the end of the performance. Mahler’s Fourth is most often played by a full orchestra comprised of more than a 100 musicians. Yesterday, the FCO with far fewer played a version of the Fourth specially orchestrated for a chamber ensemble like the FCO by the great British musical talent Iain Farrington. How fantastic it was. Mahler and FCO at their best. The Mahler came after the interval. Before the interval, concertgoers were treated to wonderful performances of Handel’s festive Concerto Grosso Op 6 No 12 and Bach’s much-loved Concerto for 2 Violins featuring fabulous sisters Rebecca Glorie and Andrea Mendham as soloists. The second movement of Bach left the audience swooning. It doesn’t get much better than this. Take a bow FCO! Don’t miss their next performance at Fremantle Town Hall on Sunday 2 June.