Latest news
Contemporary composers dominate the classical Grammy awards
The 55th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony has flashed past for 2013. The 8 awards for classical music out of a total of 81 awards, were handed out before the worldwide telecast. Major classical artistes were honoured amongst the list of nominees and winners – albeit most of them American. The award for Best Classical Compendium was…
Mozart in art
If you’re travelling to Europe between now and April, an exhibition by the Salzburg Mozarteum Foundation sounds like a good excuse to visit that city. The exhibition which is entitled Mozart Pictures – Pictures of Mozart displays 12 portraits of the composer. Only 14 were painted of him during his lifetime, and the Foundation…
A Change of Seasons for Vivaldi
Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, composed in 1723, is so ‘accessible’, it has suffered the fate of overexposure. Its four heady concerti pass through summer, autumn, winter, and spring, depicting folk life and evocative landscapes in bite-sized chunks. Some of its passages are so instantly recognisable that they have suffered the ignominy of being used as background music in commercials. Enter German-born…
The compulsion to cough
Ever wished homicide on the audience member who leaps to his feet (and it’s usually a ‘he’) shouting “Bravo!!!” even before the sounds of the music have died away?! It can ruin those moments of silence when a final chord can hang in the air, or the precious silence during which you simply want to be alone…
Ensembles inspire movies
Two recent cinema releases focus on the dynamics amongst classical musicians. Click here to read the New York Times feature on Quartet, directed by Dustin Hoffmann and starring Maggie Smith, Tom Courtenay, Billy Connolly and Pauline Collins; and A Late Quartet, directed by Yaron Silberman, starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Christopher Walken, Mark Ivanir and Catherine Keener.
Entries open for the 80th McDonald’s Sydney Eisteddfod
This year, the McDonald’s Sydney Eisteddfod celebrates its 80th Anniversary with its biggest and best festival ever. Its 400-event program is packed with a wide range of classical and contemporary solo and group events for singers, dancers, actors and musicians. Opening on the 13th May, there are new additions to the program including a special Piano Accompaniment Award…
Latest reviews
Friar Alessandro, The Voice from Assisi: review
Friar Alessandro, The Voice From Assisi (Decca) is a collection of devotional songs recorded by Friar Alessandro, of the friary of St Francis in Assisi, in Italy’s Umbria district. Many of the songs relate to the Franciscan hagiography. Born Alessandro Brustenghi, in the village of Castiglione della Valle, the 34 year old friar studied composition…
Korngold the starting point for ‘The Silver Violin’: CD review
The Silver Violin (Decca) is the title of the 7th recording for the 25-year-old violinist Nicola Benedetti. It’s a well matched collection of original violin music written for the silver screen, performed by the 2012 Classic Brit Awards ‘Female Artist of the Year’. The CD is a fine demonstration of the breadth of Benedetti’s versatility and the…