This week will see Maestro Gianluigi Gelmetti conduct a unique concert called "The Shock of the New" and event sponsors, Ferrari and Maserati, have provided the Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Sydney Symphony with their own variation on the theme by conducting him around the Ferrari Superamerica and the Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT.

Both cars are making their debut at the Australian International Motor Show, which opens its doors to the public on Friday 14 October, and the night before Australian and New Zealand owners of both legendary Italian car marques will attend a gala performance of the 'Shock of the New' concert at the Sydney Opera House. The Ferrari Superamerica is the ultimate open top car, not just because of its V12 engine that delivers astounding performance and a 320 km/h top speed, but also because it's unique roof offers the ability to literally turn down the intensity of the sun coming through its glass panel. The Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT is a new range-topping version of Maserati's outstanding performance saloon and the car on display has been built specifically for the Australian International Motor Show, arriving some eight months before Australian deliveries are set to start.

For the 'Shock of the New' concert Maestro Gianluigi Gelmetti has brought together excerpts from musical masterpieces that astounded audiences - even causing riots - when they were first performed and changed the course of musical history. Indeed, the juxtaposition of the music in the concert is designed in itself to reinforce the shock and surprise that music caused in its debut performance. Shock of the New features almost twenty works by different composers with soloists, choirs and even a dancer. With no advance warning of the work the audience is about to hear, the performances will surprise and enlighten listeners.
 

Beethoven, Mozart, Stravinsky are among the many famous composers whose musical works usual caused a strong, and sometimes shocking, reaction when they were first performed. 

In a unique presentation with lighting and other effects, Maestro Gianluigi Gelmetti takes some of the best known works in the repertoire and realises the power and impact of their first performance. The audience will be able to hear what made audiences applaud and cheer in Beethoven's Symphony No 9, a work which changed the course of musical history. Hearing works out of their usual context enables the audience to leave behind familiarity and listen in a new way, hearing new sounds.