From Winter’s Stillness

  • Classical Music
  • Australian Chamber Orchestra
  • Concert Hall
  • Run time: 120 minutes, including interval Subject to change
  • Seating map

Trio Mediæval and Arve Henriksen join Richard Tognetti and the Australian Chamber Orchestra for a soul-stirring evocation of ancient landscapes and Northern light

From the cold, clear quiet of a wintery morning, comes the music of an ancient landscape: the snow-strewn mountains and shores along the Baltic and Nordic seas. Richard Tognetti directs this extraordinary collaboration between the international vocal phenomenon Trio Mediæval, jazz trumpeter Arve Henriksen and the Australian Chamber Orchestra. 

Playing with a larger ensemble boosted by our 2026 Emerging Artists, the Orchestra invites you into an evocative sound world. Ancient hymns from Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Estonia capture the majesty of the frozen North, together with the quiet joy of Sigur Rós and the haunting beauty of Hildur Guðnadóttir. Guðnadóttir has quickly become one of the most sought-after composers in Hollywood. Her score for the HBO series, Chernobyl, won her an Emmy and GRAMMY Award while her soundtrack to Todd Phillips’ Joker won the Golden Globe and Academy Award for Best Original Score.

Interspersed with the fevered energy of Schnittke’s Concerto Grosso and Riley’s electric Half Wolf Dances Mad in the Moonlight, the program will draw you in to a world of wonder. Trio Mediæval’s ethereal harmonies and unexpected collaborations, and Henriksen’s rare softness and spirituality have captivated audiences around the world. Making their debut with Tognetti and the Australian Chamber Orchestra, this is a soul-stirring concert that will stay with you long after you leave the concert hall.

Presented by the Australian Chamber Orchestra

Event details

Program

Terry Riley 
Half Wolf Dances Mad in the Moonlight

Sigur Rós 
(arr. trumpet and strings) Fljótavík

Tõnu Kõrvits 
Kellemäng (Bells)

Alfred Schnittke 
Concerto Grosso No.1 
Interleaved with medieval hymns to St Birgitta, St Sunniva and St Magnus

Traditional 
Det lisle bånet (The Little Child)

Arve Henriksen 
Plume of Ash

Hildur Guðnadóttir 
New Commission* (World Premiere)

*Commissioned by the Australian Chamber Orchestra

Artists

Richard Tognetti 
Director & Violin 

Satu Vänskä 
Violin

Trio Mediæval: Anna Maria Friman, Ditte Marie Bræin, Jorunn Lovise Husan
Vocals 

Arve Henriksen 
Trumpet 

Australian Chamber Orchestra 

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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

Concert Hall

The Concert Hall is located beneath the largest of Sydney Opera House’s roof sails, filling the upper levels of the west side of the building. Best accessed through 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).

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