The Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra releases its fifth album, Farrenc & Eberl: Beyond Classical Horizons on 8 May, 2026. The album releases internationally on the ARCO label and will be available in physical, digital and streaming formats at arco.org.au/farrenc-cd.
The album celebrates gender equality and unsung trailblazers with this recording of the Nonet in E flat major, Opus 38 (1849) by Louise Farrence (1804-1875) and the Symphony in E flat major, Opus 33 (1803) by Anton Eberl (1765 -1807).
This latest album from The Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra, conducted from the violin by Rachel Beesly, brings these pioneering works to life in their Australian premiere, with historically informed performance (HIP) on period instruments. Recorded live in 2020 and 2023, Farrenc & Eberl captures early Romantic innovation.
The recording features a global gathering of ARCO principals comprising Jenna Sherry (violin, Leiden), Stephen King (viola, Adelaide), Daniel Yeadon (cello, Sydney), Rob Nairn (double bass, Adelaide), Georgia Browne (flute, Paris), Tatjana Zimre (oboe, Amsterdam), Nicole van Bruggen (clarinet, Brisbane), Lisa Goldberg (bassoon, Ghent) and Anneke Scott (horn, London).
ARCO is known for shining a light on lesser-known composers, especially women. It is Australia’s first recording of the Nonet and only the second worldwide, with HIP on period instruments. Gut strings, historic winds and techniques such as portamento
(gliding between notes) and tempo rubato (flexibility in timing) bring the piece vividly to life.
Louise Farrenc’s four-movement nonet has a rich and complex interplay of nine independent lines. It brought her instant acclaim after its 1850 premiere. The piece was so well-crafted and so popular that Farrenc, a virtuoso pianist and the first woman to teach at the Paris Conservatoire, successfully used it to secure equal pay to her male teaching colleagues.
Eberl’s Symphony in E flat is equally innovative. A friend of Mozart and a friendly rival of Beethoven, Eberl premiered this symphony alongside Beethoven’s Symphony No.3 ‘Eroica’ and won the critical vote. His symphony was hailed as ‘beautiful and powerful,’ with inventive use of winds and brass – better received, in fact, than Beethoven.
As with the Farrenc piece, this album is Australia’s first recording of Eberl’s Symphony in E flat.
Farrenc & Eberl was recorded in concert in June 2023 at the David Li Sound Gallery, Monash University, Melbourne (Farrenc) and March 2020 at City Recital Hall, Sydney (Eberl).
Read our review of ARCO’s Heavenly Mozart album.
