Opera Review: The Love For Three Oranges/ Opera Australia

“Oh, we’re your real opera buffs! Give us tunes that we can hum!” So plead the Lyricists in the prologue of Prokofiev’s madcap opera The Love for Three Oranges, whilst the Tragedians demand “blood and thunder…sex and souls” and the Comedians angle for “genuine comedy”. Sadly for the Lyricists, Prokofiev did not write many “tunes…

Opera Review: Carmen/ Opera Australia

Carmen – Georges Bizet Opera Australia Joan Sutherland Opera Theatre, Sydney Opera House, June 16, 2016   The neon colours of Vivid met their match last week when a rival kaleidoscope of colour erupted within the Joan Sutherland Opera Theatre for the opening night of Opera Australia’s new production of Bizet’s Carmen. It was a…

Concert Review: The Italian/ The Metropolitan Orchestra

‘The Italian’/ The Metropolitan Orchestra (TMO)/ Michael Wray, principal horn/Sarah-Grace Williams, conductor Eugene Goossens Hall, ABC Centre, Ultimo 11 June 2016 Written by Ria Andriani  The third concert in The Metropolitan Orchestra (TMO) Met series continued last weekend in the tradition of presenting excellent performances to a full house. Under the baton of conductor Sarah-Grace Williams,…

CD Review: Songs From Before/ Max Richter

It was a novel idea for a sleepover – a live, all-night performance by Max Richter, of his album Sleep. For eight hours, patrons immersed themselves in Richter’s inimitable music. Performing with him in the spaces of the Sydney Opera House were his colleagues who also featured on the album – New York’s American Contemporary…

Concert Review: Vienna Salon/ Australian Haydn Ensemble

Vienna Salon, Australian Haydn Ensemble Utzon Room, Sydney Opera House May 31, 2016 The Australian Haydn Ensemble demonstrated its flair for skilled and instinctive ensemble playing when it performed the music of the early Classical Viennese school in Vienna Salon. Playing on period or replica instruments, the four core string instrumetalists were joined by flautist…

Concert Review: Dixit Dominus/ Sydney Chamber Choir

Sydney Chamber Choir, Jonathan Grieves- Smith guest conductor Dixit Dominus City Recital Hall, May 28, 2016 The two giants of the Baroque faced off against each other, straddling two smaller contemporary works, when the Sydney Chamber Choir performed with guest conductor, Jonathan Grieves-Smith and the Orchestra of the Antipodes, led by Matt Bruce. It was…

Concert Review: Master And Pupil/ The Marais Project

Master and Pupil – The Marais Project  Jennifer Eriksson – director and viola da gamba/ James Fraser – actor and writer/ Belinda Montgomery – soprano/ Tommie Andersson – lute and theorbo/ Catherine Upex – viola da gamba  29 May 2016, The Independent Theatre, North Sydney The Prelude in Tea concerts in the Independent Theatre at North Sydney are an…

Concert Review: The Fairy Queen/ Henry Purcell/ Con Opera

The Fairy Queen, Henry Purcell CON OPERA Music Workshop, Sydney Conservatorium Saturday 14 May 2016 Purcell’s stage works can present substantial difficulties for modern directors since, with the exception of Dido and Aeneas, they are all semi-operas.  That is, they are plays into which music is inserted as stand-alone masques which are only loosely connected to…