Music is the balm of the soul. And Strauss, who mixes the rhythms of the gypsies of Hungary with the classical, romantic style of middle Europe, is a master chemist.

While we probably don’t know the names of all the popular pieces Strauss composed, our souls respond to them instantly. The QSO very wisely put a link to all of them on Spotify on its website. Go to here: https://qso.com.au/events/2025/music-on-sundays/the-strauss-gala#performances and look at the link under “Performances” “Listen to these tracks”. It provides an introduction to each piece the QSO played. Enjoy.

Some of us have been lucky enough to attend the performance live at the QPAC Concert Hall. The memo said “come in formal dress: tie and tails and ball gowns. Some did. Some didn’t. Either way, it was a hoot.

The orchestra members dressed up for the occasion, except for the guest conductor, Gábor Káli, who like Trump, wore a blue suit to the occasion. Both his informality and his energy and enthusiasm for Strauss’s music was contagious. He threw his whole body into the conducting and that alone brought smiles to the faces of the audience.

The star of the performances, for me, was the Principal Cor Anglais player Vivienne Brooke. She sat in my direct line of sight, and her playing was central to the opening pieces. I was mesmerised. What a fascinating instrument. What haunting music! See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyX9ElZE7TQ for a masterclass by the London Symphony Orchestra player. Vivienne is yet to publish her own YouTube video. I look forward to it.

Back to the performance. It was moderated by QSO cello player Craig Allister Young, in his green velvet dinner jacket. Now there’s a man with whom I’d love to have dinner. He has a wicked sense of humour. He introduced individual musicians and their European instruments. The German one obviously came from Aldi. And Ikea provided the rest. He introduced us to Strauss Junior, his father and siblings, and took us through the performance, a couple of pieces at a time. After being sated by a piece from childhood, we relaxed as Craig, like an old friend, emerged from stage right / house left.

It was a jolly, bubbly night out. Married couples held hands as the music of their courting serenaded them again, bringing back old feelings of delight. Audience members were surprised by the few empty seats. It’s not often that a QSO concert has them.

The Strauss Gala is part of the 2025 season. This year the QSO collaborated with Circa combining circus and music. It brought John Bell to share Shakespeare’s’ “The Tempest”. Next is Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique (16 and 17 May) to also be conducted by Gábor Káli.

They are our own West End Symphony Orchestra, although we encourage them to tour Queensland and invite audiences from throughout Brisbane and beyond to attend their concerts. But remember. They live in West End. They are ours.

Delight in the music. Apply their balm in these turbulent times.

Kerry McGovern