The Melbourne Orchestra has had something of an indifferent past, attended to by a series of guest conductors and maestros who never seemed to stay for long. The absence of a continuous guiding hand made for years of rough and unsteady concerts. All the same, this turnover of visitors kept audience numbers high, and supplemented a sense of cultural inferiority.” Now the orchestra has appointed a new chief conductor. “Oleg Caetani will take over the chief conductor’s position in 2005 and should make a significant impact on the city’s musical life.”