Live Review: The Presets Australian Chamber Orchestra Adelaide Town Hall Cameron Doyle

42,000 years of music and visuals amalgamated into one massive, ambitious score; coupled with a diverse audience of both experienced and youthful music lovers made it difficult to expect what was to happen from such a huge musical premise. It shouldn't work, right?

Beginning with a big bang movement, Timeline hastily weaved through the ages allowing the Australian Chamber Orchestra (ACO), led by violinist Richard Tognetti, to demonstrate why they were amongst the world's elite. Perfect musical prowess and flawless execution of intricate passages from the orchestra recreated pieces from composing giants including Bach, Brahms and Vivaldi and the impressive first act was concluded with a Schoenberg piece. Small vocal cameos from The Preset's Julian Hamilton, not only demonstrated the electronic artist's eclecticism but also kept the duo connected to the performance as they were otherwise rather quiet throughout the first hour.

Returning from the intermission, act two saw more interplay between the electronic duo and the orchestra as the performance entered the twentieth century, this progression into more familiar territory relaxed both the musicians and audience as small amounts of crowd involvement was heard following intimate renditions of beloved '30s through to '90s classics. Some of the continuity was lost transitioning between the second and third act; large jumps back and forth through decades broke the linear nature of the performance. Sonically, these passages were reminiscent of more avant-garde music concrète styles, which constructed a “chaotic and fast moving landscape”, though this effect was obviously intended, the rapid succession of the audiovisual chaos was at the sacrifice of some inaudible pieces.

The later stages of the performance saw the ACO take a back seat as The Presets shone in the mega mix, containing moments of brilliance; it was evident that the duo threw everything imaginable at the ultimate '00s mash up. Finally, the ACO were reintroduced as the performance finalised with a beautiful piece composed by The Presets and Tognetti entitled Continuum, which was met by great applause.

Timeline is a sonically satisfying yet simultaneously exhausting exploration of both musical and world history. Coupled with a stunning visual backdrop, the performance evokes a heavy sense of nostalgia, regardless of the listener's age, inspiring the audience to rediscover their entire music library and, in turn, their love for the art of music.