Latest news
The voluptuous beauty of ‘La Traviata’
Check out these 9 glorious images from Opera Australia’s production of La Traviata which opened in Sydney this week. Images by Branco Gaica courtesy of Opera Australia
‘Composed Noise’ – a contradiction in terms?
There is a project coming to life in Sydney that is about to overturn long held ideas about composing and performing music. Most of the time, composing would be considered to be an act of deliberate planning. The composer sets out to express an intensely personal statement in harmony, melody and style. Score markings tell…
Thielemann’s ‘Ring’ on disc.
Wagner specialist conductor Christian Thielemann’s reading of the complete Ring Cycle at the Wiener Staatsoper in 2011 was recognised as one of the greatest Wagnerian events of recent times. On August 2nd, Deutsche Grammophon releases a recording of this performance as a boxed set of 14 CDs of the four Ring operas and 2 DVDs featuring four…
‘Anna Netrebko -Verdi’ explores new roles
In her first studio album for five years, Russian soprano Anna Netrebko celebrates the Verdi bicentenary and the dramatic power of his music with a new recording on the Deutsche Grammophon label, available from August 9th. Anna Netrebko – Verdi is a compilation of arias selected by Netrebko herself. They include some rarely heard works from major…
Garrick Ohlsson records Brahms ‘live’ with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
On sale from July 19th, ABC Classics presents the latest addition to the MSO Live Series with a 2 CD set recording of Brahms’ Piano Concertos Nos 1 and 2, in live performances by Garrick Ohlsson and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra conducted by Tadaaki Otaka. Robert Schumann described Brahms as ‘a player of genius who can make the piano…
Alexia Voulgaridou on playing ‘Tosca’
Floria Tosca has come to town with the with the steely determination and strong passions for which she is renowned. Thrilling Sydney audiences in the title role of Puccini’s 1900 opera is Greek soprano Alexia Voulgaridou. Coincidentally, it was as another Puccini heroine that Alexia Voulgaridou first came to international attention in 2002, singing Mimi…
Latest reviews
Review: Das Rheingold, Opera Australia
Opera Australia: Der Ring des Nibelungen: Das Rheingold Arts Centre Melbourne/18 November 2013 ***** There was certainly a buzz of excited anticipation as opera lovers mingled with the glitterati for the unveiling of Opera Australia’s first Ring Cycle – the monumental work that is said to mark the coming of age of an opera…
CD Review: Anne-Sophie Mutter, Dvorak
Anne-Sophie Mutter’s virtuosity and dazzling technique liberate her to give full vent to poignancy and passion in her debut recording of Dvorak’s violin music with the Berlin Philharmonie, her first collaboration with this orchestra in 30 years. Making his first appearance as conductor with the Berliner Philharmoniker and Deutsche Grammophon is Manfred Honeck, like…