Latest news
ENO’s plan to dress down for opera receives a dressing down
Following the ENO’s announcement of a plan to encourage a relaxed dress code for opera goers, Andrew Mellor argues that it’s ‘much ado about nothing’. After all, going to the races seems to demand the observation of a costly and mysterious dress code that doesn’t deter attendance. http://www.gramophone.co.uk/blog/the-gramophone-blog/stop-telling-us-what-to-wear-for-opera
Sydney’s opera theatre re-named
The name of Dame Joan Sutherland has been immortalised with the Opera Theatre of Sydney’s Opera House re-named in her honour. Concert halls have been named after benefactors (Carnegie), Royalty (The Royal Albert Hall and the Queen Elizabeth Hall) and musicians (the Bruckner Hall in Linz and the Bartok Hall in Budapest. It is a rare honour, and…
Hip-hoppin to chopin
It’s not the first time that Chopin’s music has been appropriated for dance. In 1909, Glazunov orchestrated the music of Chopin with choreography by Fokine and created the short non-narrative ballet Les Sylphides. In 2012, pianist Lang-Lang has collaborated with Dubstepper Marquese “Nonstop” Scott to create a performance that combines Chopin’s Etude Op 25 No 12,…
Paul Mealor’s ‘De Profundis’ cries from the deep
Paul Mealor. On the day I was scheduled to speak to Welsh composer Paul Mealor, based in Aberdeen, Scotland, there was a storm so wild, that telecommunications were disrupted and the call had to be re-scheduled. The elements seemed to conspire to evoke Mealor’s inspirations and memories whilst defying his aspirations to “write music that…
The price of the priceless – a signed photograph of Mahler has emerged.
A signed photo of Gustav Mahler, previously owned by Arnold Schoenberg is the subject of a tussle between the Schoenberg family and its present owner who’s willing to part with it for a fee. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/11/lost-gustav-mahler-photo_n_1957333.html?utm_hp_ref=music-news
Latest reviews
Angela Hewitt reviewed
Peter McCallum reviews Angela Hewitt’s recital for the Sydney Morning Herald: http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/sublime-bach-rendition-a-moving-experience-20120925-26iig.html
Skelton powers through Grimes at the Proms
Last week Stuart Skelton sang the title role of Peter Grimes in a concert version of Britten’ eponymous opera at the BBC Proms in London. Tim Ashley of TheGuardian describes the production as “overwhelming …sung, acted and played with uncompromising veracity and commitment”. Sydney audiences would be familiar with Skelton’s electrifying performance as Grimes when he sang the role for…