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…
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…
The character Salome has about as many layers as veils with which she is draped. Gale Edwards directs a thoughtful and refreshing take on the eponymously titled opera by Richard Strauss, which opened in Sydney last week. The narrative is beautifully integrated with Julie Lynch’s costumes, Brian Thomson’s set designs and Kelley Abbey’s choreography. The production is supremely well presented…