In an increasingly divisive and ugly world it’s a delight to come upon an oasis of harmony. Such was the case a few years ago when I was invited by my friend and conductor Leo McFall to photograph the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra in rehearsal in Lisbon.

As the young musicians from around the world rehearsed two Sibelius symphonies, I was allowed to get in amongst the artists and their instruments, to try and capture intimacy, intensity and occasionally frustration. It was a particular joy to me as Sibelius ranks pretty close to the top of my list of composers.

My original set of images was in colour, but here I have chosen to display the black & white versions. Something about this choice seemed to enhance the captures. To enhance the intimacy.

See Fred’s previous contributions to aamora here

and enjoy more of his work on his Flickr pages