Beethoven was paid £50 and was deaf when he wrote his Symphony No 9 Ode to Joy. Commissioned in 1822 by the Royal Philharmonic Society in the UK, it premiered in the UK in 1825, following its world premiere in Vienna the previous year.
This weekend, a plaque commemorating the UK premiere and its venue will be unveiled at 252 Regent Street in London, which is today home to a bank.
Puccini’s Tosca opens tonight at the Sydney Opera House. A John Bell production from Opera Australia, the drama is set in Nazi occupied Rome. Christian Badea conducts Teodor Ilincăi as Cavaradossi and Ainhoa Arteta as Tosca with Lucio Gallo as Scarpia. The season goes from February 17 to March 31. Scroll down to see all six images….
This week it is the turn of Opera Australia to unveil the programme for its 60th year. It is a rich and varied programme with several new commissions alongside traditional opera – there are Australian works, two operas by Verdi and two by Bizet. A new McVicar production of Cosi fan tutte completes Sir David’s…
Ensemble Offspring has an exciting venture. It is a new annual recording series, Offspring Bites, celebrating the creation of new art music in Australia today, featuring an audio release alongside newly commissioned video art created by video artists Samuel James and Oliver Miller paired with the recordings. It is a start towards realising what Ensemble Offspring…
British soprano Dame Emma Kirkby and Swedish Lutenist Jakob Lindberg were recently in Australia performing and running masterclasses. During their tour, the duo were in Bermagui, where they presented a masterclass on The Art of Performing and Understanding Early Songs as part of the Four Winds Windsong series. SoundsLikeSydney correspondent soprano Ria Andriani attended the masterclass…
The Australian Brandenburg Orchestra and Choir under Artistic Director Paul Dyer AO, have released a recording of their popular annual Noël! Noël! Christmas concert. This release was recorded live at St Francis of Assisi Church, Paddington NSW in December 2016 and is a Christmas celebration like only the charismatic Paul Dyer and the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra and Choir…
Today’s report from The Australian on Richard Mills’ resignation from the Melbourne ‘Ring’cycle.