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Production

Production

Oratorio / Orchestral Concert

A Classical Christmas – Arts Centre Melbourne, Southbank

Date
Thursday, 26 November 2026
Time
19:30
Venue
Arts Centre Melbourne
Address
100 St Kilda Rd, Southbank VIC 3004, Australia
City
Southbank
Price range
AUD 20 – AUD 139

About this event

It’s not often you get the chance to hear a new piece of Christmas music. We co-commissioned Sir James MacMillan’s Christmas Oratorio, and this Scottish composer will conduct selections from his piece in the spirit of the season. He will also lead the serene voices of the Choir of Trinity College through his other Christmas-themed composition O radiant dawn, alongside selections from Bach’s joyous Christmas Oratorio. In this program imbued with ancient and modern cultures, Berlioz’s spiritually themed L’adieu des bergers shares the story of a shepherd’s farewell. Respighi’s Botticelli Triptych uses the colours of orchestral instruments to depict the striking Renaissance painting of Venus emerging from her shell, among two other Italian artworks. The concert concludes with the ecstatic ‘Hallelujah’ chorus from Handel’s Messiah. If this leaves you in a festive mood, you can also hear the full oratorio this December when MacMillan leads an all-Australian cast of outstanding solo voices.

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