For those who are normally regular concert-goers, and those who have studied at the School of Music, returning to the auditorium with all its memories of great music and the promise of a fresh interpretation of the evening's repertoire is a pleasure that we have had to do without for far too long.

Music helps us make sense of the world, and I have never been happier to hear Beethoven's Seventh Symphony than I was in Thursday night's concert.

The well-loved themes and the rhythmic drive of the work embodied the irreplaceable musical collaboration of live performance.

Simon Hewett took the baton in his first concert as Principal Guest Conductor with the CSO and will lead the orchestra in 2021.

Audiences will be eager to hear what stylistic characteristics he brings to his new appointment, and to experience any new directions he initiates for the orchestra.

The Stars Above Us All by Matthew Hindson was a perfect choice to open the concert with Stephanie Neeman taking the ethereal lead on the celeste.

The composition, commissioned by the Hush Foundation in 2012-13, was intended to alleviate the anxiety experienced by patients and their families in hospital environments.

The CSO's 2020 interpretation brought both musicians and audience consolation for the long months without live music performance.

It also brought a sense of hope to face the uncertain times we are living in.

Julian Smiles returned to the stage of the Llewellyn Hall where he was a student.

He performed Tchaikovsky's Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op.33 -Fitzenhagen version.

His cello, made by Lorenzo Ventapane of Naples in 1827, has a mellow, warm voice; the sound of bow hair subservient to a pure tone, and Smiles's performance was delivered with serene equanimity.

The florid, virtuosic passages were balanced by elegant harmonics, and a memorable rendition of the soulful sixth variation brought to mind the poignancy of a Russian hymn.

Throughout, the orchestra maintained the airy lightness that enabled the cello to sing out, while supporting the melodic intricacies with a sympathetic accompaniment.

In harmony with the theme of healing introduced in Hindson's opening composition, the first performance of Beethoven's Seventh Symphony was a charity concert for wounded soldiers in Vienna on December 8, 1813, with the composer conducting.

The irresistible rhythmic pulse of the symphony would have been inspiring to those military listeners, especially as the work was performed in a program that included the stirring Wellington's Victory.

For the Canberra audience, the work clearly hit its mark, eliciting lengthy applause.

While the opening of the performance was strong and heartfelt, I wondered if the distancing of the musicians affected their ability to maintain the tempo in the subsequent movements.

There were moments when the pace seemed a little slow.

That said, it would be churlish to dispute the overwhelming joy with which musicians and audience responded in the final movement of the Symphony.

Not to mention that there was resounding applause that brought the conductor back three times.

We await the 2021 Canberra Symphony Orchestra concert series eagerly!