Presented by Melbourne Recital Centre in arrangement with Changing Wilds Ensemble
85 Seconds to Midnight
A space for contemplation and agency at a time when every second counts.
On January 27, 2026, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists set the Doomsday Clock to 85 seconds before midnight, the closest it has ever been to the symbolic threshold of global catastrophe. This unprecedented setting reflects a sharply heightened risk of civilisational collapse driven by escalating nuclear tensions, unregulated development of AI, continuing failures of global leadership, and the most enduring issue of our time - climate change.
Led by artistic director and composer Robert McIntyre and pianist Georgina Lewis, Changing Wilds Ensemble blends post-minimalism, art music, and neoclassical works to contemplate these wicked problems. Looking through a shared lens of environmental precarity and internal reckoning, 85 seconds to Midnight features the music of Australians Robert McIntyre, Stuart Greenbaum, Laura Abraham and Alex Turly, alongside prolific Estonian composer Arvo Pärt and renowned Icelandic composer Ólafur Arnalds.
This concert invites audiences to listen closely, feel the passage of time in sound, and experience how such music can hold tension, tenderness, and hope all at once. In this way, 85 seconds to Midnight doesn’t seek to illustrate catastrophe and apportion blame, but to hold open a collaborative space for contemplation, responsibility, and agency at a time when, as the Doomsday Clock suggests, every second counts.
Praise for Changing Wilds Ensemble
‘McIntyre proved the intersection between music and law is sustainability…’ — ClassikON
‘Place, feeling, memory, and the environment were all explored in a stunningly curated concert from McIntyre’s ensemble.’ — Classic Melbourne
Duration: 1 hour (no interval). Please note, running times are approximate and subject to change.
There will be a 30 minute post-concert talk immediately following the concert in the Primrose Potter Salon, concluding at 7:30pm.
This curation and post-concert talk is in collaboration with CLIMARTE & The Wattle Fellowship.
Tickets
Standard $55 ($45 Concession)
Please note, seating in the Primrose Potter Salon is General Admission.
A Transaction Fee between $4 and $8.50 applies to orders made online and by phone. Delivery Fees may also apply. A ticket limit of six is in place online to ensure fair ticket access for all. Want to bring a bigger party? Call our Box Office during business hours on (03) 9699 3333 to book.
Artists
Robert McIntyre composer, curator, and co-artistic director
Georgina Lewis piano, co-artistic director
Isabel Hede violin
Gemma Kneale cello
Bridgette Kelsey soprano
Savanna Wegman poet
Program
Arvo Pärt
Für Alina
Robert McIntyre
Our Duty to Care
Stuart Greenbaum
800 Million Heartbeats
Alex Turly
Sonata for Violin and Piano, Mvt VI
Robert McIntyre
Time, a passage
Laura Abraham
Tomorrow, and years away
Robert McIntyre
85 seconds to Midnight*
Ólafur Arnalds
Zero
*World premiere
Accessibility
