Revered British-born violinist Helena Rathbone, Principal Violin of the Australian Chamber Orchestra, champions English composer Edward Elgar’s majestic and heartfelt Violin Sonata, written in mid-1918 as the first world war continued to rage, and described by Elgar’s wife as inspired by the luminous Fittleworth Woods and their ‘wood magic’ or genii loci, the protective spirits of place shining their guiding light through the leaves and branches.

To set the scene, the Melbourne-based Quercus Trio, hailed as “exceptionally stunning” and now established as Australia’s foremost pioneers of the horn trio repertoire, make their PFSMF debut to give life to the enchanting new work by Australian composer Melody Eötvös, whose music is regularly heard in concert venues across the globe. Her world premiere Shivelight is commissioned by Continuo Community, through the awarding to Eötvös of the Continuo Commissioning Circle’s 2023 commission. It takes its title from a word first used by one of Elgar’s contemporaries, the poet Gerard Manley Hopkins, who coined the term to describe the shafts of light that pierce and filter through the foliage and canopies of trees.