Latest news
Thomas Quasthoff leaves the stage
“Quasthoff has a mellifluous bass baritone (more and more drifting down toward the bass end of the spectrum) with deeply felt musical instincts and a radiant artistic intelligence”. The New York Times 2008. German bass-baritone Thomas Quasthoff has announced his retirement from the stage after a performing career of several decades. He says: “After almost 40…
ACO scores half a century of tours with latest successes in Europe
The Australian Chamber Orchestra has wrapped up a hugely successful and comprehensive tour of Europe with a private recital for Prince Charles and 150 invited guests at St James’ Palace. During the tour, the ACO performed in Birmingham, London, at Vienna’s Musikverein, and Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, in Antwerp, Wilhelmshaven, Luxembourg and Basel. This brings up their half century…
The ABC’s top 100 20th century works
This weekend, the ABC revealed its list of ‘Classic 100 20th Century Works’ culminating in a live broadcast from the Adelaide Festival Centre. The Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Benjamin Northey were joined by soloists Kristian Chong (piano), Ji Won Kim (violin), Simon Tedeschi (piano) and Pei-Jee Ng (cello) to perform from the works that…
Sumi Jo Review
Here it is: http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/virtuosity-comes-as-excellence-and-parody-20111202-1ob0l.html Were you there? Tell us what you thought!
In Search of Beethoven
This is the link to the SMH and SkyArts presentation of the 2009 production “In Search of Beethoven”. It features, amongst others, Emmanuel Ax, Roger Norrington and Riccardo Chailly. http://www.smh.com.au/tv/show/in-search-of-beethoven/in-search-of-beethoven-20111202-1oaij.html
When the goat’s bell rang for ‘Sappho’
It was July 2009 in Bali’s hill town of Ubud, tucked in by the Ayung river gorge. The wild clanging of a goat’s bell from the Greek island of Mykonos shattered the tranquility of tropical bird calls and the cascading river. Jennifer Condon was celebrating. The emerging conductor was achieved a nine year ambition to…
Latest reviews
baroque duets break ground
“Baroque Duets” a new CD release, has a lot to say for itself. First and foremost, it is a superb compilation of Baroque vocal music, eminently listenable but away from the beaten track; it is also a historically informed and technically well executed performance by singers and instrumentalists on period instruments; it even contains a…
serious singing from teddy tahu rhodes
“The poem has not been completed until set to music” – Goethe. If Art Song needs to be re-invented to survive and evolve, the new CD “Serious Songs” from bass-baritone Teddy Tahu Rhodes (ABC Classics 476-4383) points in the right direction. The CD takes its title from Brahms’ Four Serious Songs,originally composed for bass and piano,…