A closeup of two violin players side by side

Schoenberg & Williams

  • Classical Music
  • Sydney Symphony Orchestra
  • Utzon Room
  • Run time - 55 minutes, no interval

Radiance and invention

Schoenberg’s Transfigured Night is an intoxicating work. Influenced hugely by Brahms and Wagner in both the richness of the writing and the high drama of the narrative it depicts.

Transfigured Night is one of the great works of late Romantic chamber music.

Based on a work by German poet Richard Dehmel, it portrays an emotionally charged scene between two lovers; opening with an extraordinarily atmospheric section that draws us into the layered weight of night, before the finale draws the lovers together in ecstasy.  

Sydney Symphony Assistant Principal Viola Justin Williams is also a composer of note, his output already including piano and chamber works and a symphony. His Wind Quintet receives its world premiere here, brought to life by his colleagues in the Orchestra’s wind section; the warm and mellifluous tones of these instruments will envelop you in a musical embrace.  

‘See how brightly the universe gleams! There is a radiance in everything,’ says Dehmel’s protagonist – and there is certainly radiance here in this concert. 

Presented by Sydney Symphony Orchestra

Event details

Programme

Justin WILLIAMS Movement for Woodwind Quintet
SCHOENBERG Transfigured Night

Artist information

MUSICIANS OF THE SYDNEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Please note, the musicians featured in the photo above may not appear in this concert.

You may also like

Stephen Layton conducts Bach, Mozart & Handel

21 & 23 Aug 2025

Stephen Layton is one of the world's greatest choral conductors, an expert in vocal music from the Renaissance to the modern day. In this concert Stephen Layton conducts Baroque and Classical masterpieces by Bach, Handel, Mozart and Haydn, featuring guest soloist Sara Macliver.

  • Classical Music
  • Sydney Symphony Orchestra
Stephen Layton conducts an Orchestra with arms outstretched

The Tallis Scholars

12 Oct 2025

Award-winning British vocal ensemble, The Tallis Scholars return to the Sydney Opera House for the first time in over two decades with an unmissable program inspired by the timeless beauty of Gregorian chant. Award-winning British vocal ensemble, The Tallis Scholars are renowned for their stunning cappella performances and exquisite recordings of sacred vocal music. The choir first sang at the Sydney Opera House in 1985, 40 years ago, and has returned five times since.

  • Classical Music

Simone Young conducts Richard Strauss

3 – 6 Sep 2025

Richard Strauss’ Thus Spoke Zarathustra launched into popular consciousness in the 1960s, dramatically underscoring the opening scenes of 2001: A Space Odyssey. Strauss’ sublime shifts from darkness to light are timeless, and jaw-dropping to experience live. Chief Conductor Simone Young is one of the world’s leading interpreters of Strauss’ music. In this concert she draws out the vast power of these works, alongside Australian pianist Andrea Lam and the virtuosity of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.

  • Classical Music
  • Sydney Symphony Orchestra
Simone Young conducts with baton in the hand in front of an orchestra

Attending this event

Plan your visit

Address

Sydney Opera House
Bennelong Point
Sydney NSW 2000
Australia

Getting to the venue

The Opera House is a 7-10 minute walk from Circular Quay, and is easily accessible by car, train, ferry, lightrail, bus, bike and on foot.

Location and access

Utzon Room

The Utzon Room is located on the Eastern side of the Opera House, in front of the Joan Sutherland Theatre. Best accessed through the Box Office Foyer or the Covered Concourse. All Sydney Opera House foyers are accessible, with lifts to the main and western foyers. The public lift to all foyers is accessible from the corridor near the escalators on the Lower Concourse and also in the Western Foyer via the corridor on the Ground Level (at the top of the escalators).

Checking availability