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Session Report: Richard Tognetti on recording Schoenberg, Vasks and Silvestrov with the Australian Chamber Orchestra

2026-10-23T07:38:00

(c) Matisse Ruby, Tyson Perkins, Drew English

Violinist Richard Tognetti speaks to David Kettle about the Australian Chamber Orchestra’s latest album, which features music both new and familiar that is united by themes of remembrance and reflection

’Some of it was recorded during the Covid pandemic. And Vox amoris is long overdue – we commissioned that piece ages ago.’ The Australian Chamber Orchestra’s (ACO) new disc of music for string orchestra – called Moments of Memory, and bringing together Schoenberg’s Verklärte Nacht, the aforementioned Vox amoris (2008–9) by Pēteris Vasks and the premiere recording of a new work by Ukrainian composer Valentin Silvestrov – has indeed been a long time coming, as Australian Chamber Orchestra lead violinist and artistic director Richard Tognetti happily admits. Six years, to be precise – that’s if you go by the official recording dates of two of the pieces on the disc…

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