Latest news
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…
Arnold Rawls – a voice for Verdi
It makes sense to be good friends with people you have to work with. Especially if they are people whose characters you have to inhabit. American tenor Arnold Rawls is in Sydney to sing the role of Manrico for Opera Australia in Il Trovatore. Sitting in the Green Room of the Sydney Opera House, Rawls confesses “Manrico is probably…
Il Trovatore – scenes from Opera Australia
Il Trovatore is being performed in the Joan Sutherland Opera Theatre of the Sydney Opera House on selected dates until March 5th 2013. All images by Branco Gaiaca, courtesy Opera Australia.
‘In Britten’s Footsteps’ – the birds that inspired Britten
Sound Recordist Chris Watson has spent a year immersed in the countryside around Benjamin Britten’s home in Suffolk, recording and listening to the birdsongs which inspired the composer. Watson has incorporated these songs with the music of Britten to create a unique new piece called In Britten’s Footsteps which will premiere this February. Watson says “The spatial aspect of…
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…