A large pipe organ illuminated by purple and pink lights, with a person seated at the organ console.

Anna Lapwood performs Max Richter A Universe of Sound

  • Classical Music
  • Sydney Symphony Orchestra
  • Concert Hall
  • Run time: 100 minutes, 1 interval Subject to change
  • Seating map

Spanning glowing stillness to symphonic fire – and featuring two Australian premieres – this program explores sound in all its dimensions

Max Richter’s music comes directly from the heart; his compositions feel both vast and intimately personal. ABC Classic calls him an ‘expert in presenting an emotion or a feeling.’

Fresh from its 2025 BBC Proms debut, his luminous concerto for organ, orchestra and choir Cosmology receives its Australian premiere.   

Co-commissioned by the Sydney Symphony and written for and performed by Anna Lapwood – one of classical music’s brightest stars – Cosmology is a radiant showcase for her powerful presence and natural ability to connect. Her artistry brings an emotional clarity to Richter’s slow-burning harmonies and glowing textures, building toward a breathtaking climax.   

Kristina Arakelyan’s striking Toccata, also written for Lapwood, makes its Australian premiere. Full of percussive energy and bold contrasts, it’s an evocative opener that sets a vivid tone.   

Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra unleashes the Sydney Symphony in full force. Surging with colour and invention, it moves between striding basslines, folk-inspired winds and eerie flutters of flute and brass. The finale charges in a blazing, triumphant flourish. It’s a work that both tests and celebrates an orchestra’s full power.   

Spanning glowing stillness to symphonic fire, this program explores sound in all its dimensions.  

Please note: Max Richter is not performing in this concert

Cosmology was co-commissioned by Royal Albert Hall, Philharmonia Orchestra, Hallé Symphony Orchestra, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal

Event details

Program

Kristina ARAKELYAN Toccata 
Australian Premiere
MaxRICHTER Cosmology (Concerto for Organ, Orchestra and Choir) 
Australian Premiere
BARTÓK Concerto for Orchestra 

Artists

André De Ridder Conductor 
Anna Lapwood Organ 
Sydney Philharmonia Choirs 

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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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