QPAC

Soprano Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha brings her magnificent voice to Strauss’ exploration of what it means to be human

The Australian Chamber Orchestra (ACO) is thrilled to present the Australian debut of Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha. Winner of the Song Prize at the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition and the prestigious Salzburg Festival’s Herbert von Karajan prize, Rangwanasha is one of the most exciting sopranos singing today. Combining sumptuous tone and tenderness with sheer vocal power, she will perform with an expanded Australian Chamber Orchestra featuring winds, piano and percussion, directed by Richard Tognetti. 

Strauss’ Four Last Songs is a wistful farewell, an intoxicating combination of beauty and darkness that comes together in transcendent lyricism. He wrote them at 84, looking back on the life that was, and forward to eternal rest. Dedicated with love to his wife of six decades, Strauss meditates on our inevitable mortality without ever giving in to despair, a profoundly thankful last musical gift.

The concert opens with Arvo Pärt’s haunting Cantus, written in memory of Benjamin Britten. Britten’s Second String Quartet, his beautiful ode to his musical hero Henry Purcell, follows, before the premiere of a new commission from award-winning Australian composer Jack Symonds, whose captivating music marries innovation and imagination.

This final concert in the Australian Chamber Orchestra’s 2027 Season is a celebration of the resilience of the human spirit and the power of reinvention and renewal. This is music that reminds us of why we gather in concert halls, to bear witness and to revel in collective wonder.