“Their trademark rich and golden string tone, a legacy of so many of the musicians playing with leading German orchestras, was a feature of night…it was a pitch-perfect electrifying performance and illustrated the depth of talent this country enjoys.”

★★★★★ LIMELIGHT, Concert Review by Steve Moffatt 22/08/2026

“Briger conducted without a score and the connection between him and the players was palpable.”

CLASSIC MELBOURNE, Concert Review by Nicholas Tolhurst 21/08/2026

“What was immediately apparent was the rich and polished string tone of a band which draws its all-Australian members from the world’s top orchestras…The Adagietto – Mahler’s best-known nine minutes – was exquisite, the tempo and string tone just right…and the joyful emergence into the sunlight of the final bars of the Rondo lifted the roof off, bringing the audience to its feet like a rippling Mexican wave around the auditorium.”

★★★★★ LIMELIGHT, Concert Review by Steve Moffatt 06/09/25

“there was such an immense array of vigour and dynamic range, sweeping between triumph and heartbreak with seamless balance and smoothness. The overall effect of Briger’s command of such a mammoth assembly of players was that of immaculate rounded smoothness, of an annihilating cleanliness of sound”

SCENESTR, Concert Review by Liam Heitmann-Ryce-LeMercier 04/09/2025

“Mahler is the absolute master of orchestral colour, and in this performance of the 5th there were colours I thought I’d never heard before…Alexander Briger tapped into every subtle colour in his palette to create an ever-changing world of beauty”

EAST SIDE FM, Concert Review by Paul Neeson 05/09/25

“With such an incredible collection of more than 90 superb musicians, the result is a fine tuned, exquisite performance which cannot be matched…By close of the performance, the Concert Hall gave a full standing ovation with many curtain calls…Faces were aching, lips were dry from being stuck to the teeth after smiling too long. Makeup was washed away by shed tears from the most beautiful moments. Spines were tingling from the music-gasms. It was truly a magical night and one that will be remembered for a long time to come”

★★★★★ SYDNEY ARTS GUIDE, Concert Review by Annabelle Drumm 05/09/25

“Directed by its founder Alexander Briger, the AWO brought appealing lustre and engaging clarity to its playing throughout. Attention to details of balance, dynamics and articulation was well projected in a hall where these elements can sometimes be submerged…What a joy to hear Australia’s elite musicians engage with such demanding but rewarding music”

★★★★★ SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, Concert Review by Tony Way 04/09/25

“It is an amazing assembly of hugely skilled individuals, but it’s more than that. The fact they have come from far and wide, drawn together by a sense of shared musical roots in Australia, for a singular event seems to add zest and intensity to their playing”

CLASSIC MELBOURNE, Concert Review by Sue Kaufmann 07/09/2025

“Alexander Briger and the Australian World Orchestra complete their galactic mission with precision, verve and gusto”

LIMELIGHT, Concert Review by Steve Moffatt 25/11/23

“…the AWO strings created a wonderfully rich sound of energised intensity, to which the woodwind responded with clear textures like shafts of soft light…”

SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, Concert Review by Peter McCallum 25/11/23

“There is always a particular kind of unstoppable energy…released explosively in one sardonic wink.”

SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, Concert Review by Peter McCallum 5/9/22