Rossini and Dvorak grace conductor Asher Fisch’s return to WA Symphony Orchestra at Heath Ledger Theatre

Romantic strains of Rossini and Dvorak graced principal conductor Asher Fisch’s first WA Symphony Orchestra concert of 2026 on Thursday at Heath Ledger Theatre. Rossini’s Semiramide overture broke the ice with low chords and hurried fragments of melody rising to a climax then falling to a horn chorale spiced with woodwind; a solemn reflection on tragedy. Just as quickly the full orchestra returned, blazing briefly as a shooting star before fading to pathos over fleeting pizzicato. Mood swings from tragic to heroic morphed to lyricism from strings with brass and percussion highlights. Clarinet (Som Howie), oboe (Liz Chee), flute (Andrew Nicholson) and piccolo (Sonia Croucher) rekindled the flame for a flurry of fireworks; falling back to scurrying strings then reigniting full orchestral effects, ebbing and flowing towards a grand climax and heartfelt applause. Ovations for soloists and the horn quartet (David Evans, Rob Gladstones, Julia Brooke and Francesco Lo Surdo) gave pause before the main work, Dvorak’s Symphony No.9 “From the New World”. Hushed lower strings led in gentle woodwind; a restrained soundscape suggesting the promise of broader vistas. Folkloric flourishes drew on warmer colours, waxing and waning with agile adjuncts from horn (Evans) and trumpets (Orson Paine and Peter Miller). Trombones (Joshua Davis, Liam O’Malley and Colin Burrows) lent steel to the structure as Fisch drew out lines both angular and articulate, returning on speed dial to flute. Pastoral echoes gave way to wintry blasts from the back row then darker chords and a percussive rumble to broach the Largo second movement. Jonathan Ryan’s mournful cor anglais captured a sense of distant yearning, with clarinet and bassoon (Jane Kircher-Lindner) in close attendance. Quivering strings couched woodwind under Fisch’s mesmeric beat. Flutes broke the spell to summon a cascade of sound from brass to cor anglais then mellow strings; fading to a bass drone. All reset for the Scherzo third movement, its stark initial salvos launching portentous attack. Dance measures passed like rustic revels on a riverbank, redolent of Dvorak’s Czech heritage; rich woodwind making the most of sunshine before another storm broke in the finale. Strident double-basses presaged the menace of Jaws and ebullient brass stamped its mark. Fisch coaxed an orchestral cacophony, breaking to mellifluous clarinet calling in the woodwind cohort as clouds gathered then exploded. Mellow tones cooled the mood amid elemental blasts in turn initiated then mitigated by the horn quartet. Finally, all subsided to laconic calm before erupting in a crash-bang conclusion. WASO next present The Flying Dutchman at UWA Winthrop Hall on May 8 and 9.