Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Gave Melbourne Its Biggest Rock Show This Week - Noise11.com
Symphonica: Armand Van Helden and the MSO. Photo by Ros O'Gorman

Symphonica: Armand Van Helden and the MSO. Photo by Ros O'Gorman

Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Gave Melbourne Its Biggest Rock Show This Week

by Paul Cashmere on January 29, 2018

in News

Melbourne Symphony Orchestra gave Melbourne its most powerful shows this week AND they did it with a DJ.

Armand Van Helden performed his only Australian show with the MSO at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl on Saturday night and it rocked harder than you will find with most rock acts.

Symphonica: Armand Van Helden and the MSO at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl on Saturday 27 January 2018. Photo by Ros O'Gorman

Van Helden is a catalogue of dance tracks including ‘My My My’, ‘U Don’t Know Me’ and ‘Bonkers’. Alone it is your stock standard EDM. Put 70 of the worlds finest musicians behind it and it becomes epic.

Symphonica: Armand Van Helden and the MSO at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl on Saturday 27 January 2018. Photo by Ros O'Gorman

The Armand Van Helden and MSO pairing was a brilliant concept for the Melbourne Symphony. The normally snooty orchestra image was thrown out for the day to attract a 20-40’s audience mainly there for Van Helden’s first (and only) Australian appearance in seven years.

Symphonica: Armand Van Helden and the MSO at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl on Saturday 27 January 2018. Photo by Ros O'Gorman

The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra was conducted by Benjamin Northey and curated by Jamie Messenger and Joe Twist.

Symphonica: Armand Van Helden and the MSO at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl on Saturday 27 January 2018. Photo by Ros O'Gorman

The MSO is one of the world’s most contemporary orchestras. The MSO often devolves into musical space few conductors would be prepared to go. They backed live albums for Kiss, Elton John and Meat Loaf and have played with Sting, Nick Cave and Ben Folds. Their last contemporary dance show was with Flight Facilities.

Symphonica: Armand Van Helden and the MSO at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl on Saturday 27 January 2018. Photo by Ros O'Gorman

The Armand Van Helden show was something special. The crowd was standing from the first few notes and rarely returned to their seats.

Symphonica: Armand Van Helden and the MSO at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl on Saturday 27 January 2018. Photo by Ros O'Gorman

This pairing was a genius idea. Let’s hope the MSO has more planned.

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