Latest news
The music that influenced Reich
The ‘Modern Master’ Steve Reich talks to Phil Johnson of The Independent ahead of the world premiere of his new composition, Radio Rewrite drawn from the music of Radiohead. He discusses the musicians who influenced him. For Reich, Baroque and bepop, Coltrane and Classical were simply part of a spectrum, not to be segmented by labels. It is a fascinating…
Mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard wins major opera award
American mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard has been awarded a major opera prize, the Richard Tucker Award. The native New Yorker is a graduate of the Juilliard School and has won many awards including the Beverly Sills Award in 2011. She married bass-baritone Teddy Tahu Rhodes in 2008. Click here for more from the New York Times….
The challenges of performing in the Concertgebouw
The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra makes its much anticipated inaugural visit to Sydney later this year, performing in the Concert Hall of the Sydney Opera House. Celebrating its 125th anniversary in 2013, the highly acclaimed orchestra directed by Maris Jansons is resident in the building of the same name in Amsterdam’s Museum Quarter. The Concertgebouw opened on April 11,…
Music by numbers
This week SoundsLikeSydney reviewed a new CD form violinist Daniel Hope Spheres, a concept album on which all the selections have a link to astronomy. JS Bach’s fascination with numbers in music is well known. However, there were other composers who built numerical riddles and patterns nto their writing. Tom Service of The Guardian, delves deeper.
Orchestras in ‘pitched’ battle
This April, Limelight Magazine has published a ranking of Australia’s orchestras. “Australia’s six major orchestras are frequently described as “world class”, but how do they fare in their own backyard? We pit the state orchestras against each other in a blind-listening test to see which band would emerge king of the concert hall.” Limelight Magazine. Coincidentally…
Some of opera’s greatest stars
The UK Telegraph has been running a seriesof live streamed debates on various aspects of classical music. As part of thisseries they’ve published a gorgeous picture gallery of 10 of opera’s greatest singers: 5 men and 5 women. Guess who they are! Click here for the link.
Latest reviews
Virtuosity and spectacle: The Mahler Chamber Orchestra with Daniel Harding and Christian Tetzlaff
The Mahler Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Daniel Harding with Christian Tetzlaff, violin, at the Sydney Opera House, June 10th 2013. The display of virtuosity within the concert hall of the Sydney Opera House was as spectacular as the light show outside. The 50 strong Mahler Chamber Orchestra conducted by Daniel Harding with violinist Christian Tetzlaff…
ABO’s ‘Mozart the Great’ reviewed
The Australian Brandenburg Orchestra conducted by Paul Dyer delivered a powerful performance of Mozart’s glorious Mass in C minor, K 427, ‘The Great’. Soloists Sara Macliver and Fiona Campbell were well matched and outstanding. Read Peter McCallum’s reviewin the Sydney Morning Herald and Murray Black’s review in The Australian The performance is repeated Friday May 10th, Saturday May 11th, Wednesday…