Review: Gounod’s Faust/ Opera Australia
‘A feeble French travesty of a German literary monument.’ Such was Wagner’s view, in 1867, of Charles-François Gounod’s opera Faust which premiered in Paris in 1859. No matter that Faust was one of the most successful operas of its time, being performed at the Royal Opera, Covent Garden, every season from 1863 to 1911 and…
CD Review: Pillar Of Wisdom,Cantigas De Santa Maria IV/The Renaissance Players
Cantigas de Santa Maria Volume IV Pillar of Wisdom The Renaissance Players, Tall Poppies, TP231 The Renaissance Players have released the penultimate volume in their 5 CD collection collectively called the Cantigas de Santa Maria. This CD, Pillar of Wisdom contains 10 songs, performed by the Renaissance Players, directed by Winsome Evans. A Spanish and…
Concert Review: Ludovico Einaudi
Ludovico Einaudi, piano Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House, February 8, 2015. Italian pianist Ludovico Einaudi mesmerised his capacity audience at the Sydney Opera House last weekend, on this, his third visit to Sydney. Einaudi performed a selection of his own compositions, accompanied by 19 members of the Australian Opera and…
Opera review: Madama Butterfly/Opera Australia
Madama Butterfly – Giacomo Puccini Opera Australia, Sydney Opera House 27 January 2015 Each year, Opera Australia has followed its Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour production with indoor performances of the same opera during the following year. Presumably this is intended to entice patrons who enjoyed a performance under the stars to try ‘real’ opera…
Review: Tosca/Opera Australia
Tosca – Giacomo Puccini Opera Australia, Sydney Opera House, 13 January 2015 John Bell’s production of Tosca for Opera Australia was first seen 18 months ago. It was very successful then, and is perhaps even more so in the current revival. This compelling production is set in Rome in 1943 during the Nazi occupation…
Review: Songs Of Christmas/The Idea Of North With The Choir Of St James’
The Idea of North with the Choir of St James’ Saturday, December 6, 2014 The Choir of St James’ concluded their highly successful 2014 season this Saturday gone with Songs of Christmas, a melange of popular tunes and Christmas favourites featuring guest artists and world-renowned a capella superstars the Idea of North. I’ve never heard…
‘A Brandenburg Christmas’ – the CD
A Brandenburg Christmas (ABC 476 4687) is the The Australian Brandenburg Orchestra and Choir’s 2010 live recording of their annual festive concert Noel! Noel!, which enters its 14th season in 2012. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Paul Dyer, the orchestra is known for its inimitable presentation of both popular and rare Baroque music performed on period instruments. This core is…
CD Review: Handel’s ‘Messiah’/Minkowski/Deutsches Grammophon Virtuoso
Handel Messiah/Marc Minkowksi/Deutsches Grammophon Virtuoso. Nearly three centuries after Handel’s Messiah was first performed in 1742, and nearly a century after its first recordings in the 1920s, Deutsche Grammophon has re-released a 2001 Archiv recording conducted by Marc Minkowski on its Virtuoso label (Catalogue Number 478 6175). Virtuoso promises quality performances at an affordable price….
Review: Handel’s Messiah/St Mary’s Singers
Handel: Messiah St Mary’s Singers St Mary’s Cathedral, Sydney 6 December 2014 Performances of Handel’s Messiah are a habitual prelude to the Christmas season, with presentations in churches and concert halls throughout the country. Musical styles are as varied as the performance locations, ranging from attempts to recreate original eighteenth century practices to massed…