Tonight, Mozart’s fantasy filled opera The Magic Flute opens at the Joan Sutherland Opera Theatre of the Sydney Opera House.
Singing the role of Sarastro is Morris Robinson, a graduate of the Metropolitan Opera Lindemann Young Artist Development Program. Following his debut at the Metropolitan Opera in their production of Fidelio, he has enjoyed a busy career in both opera and concert repertoire.
Read his interview in today’s The Australian.
Musical dynasties have made their mark in music from the days of the Scarlattis and the Bachs, through to the Shankars and the Lennons. Pianist and conductor Daniel Barenboim’s 26 year old violinist son Michael, has for 9 years, been the leader of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, (WEDO) created by Barenboim senior as an act of middle eastern reconciliation. The WEDO…
Wagner-mania continues this month with this feature from Paul Mason in The Guardian.
Maestro Claudio Abbado has died at the age of 81. A prolific creative force, one of his many landmark achievements was to found the Mahler Chamber Orchestra which toured to Sydney just last year. Read more.
Controversy erupted with previews of Benjamin Britten’s latest biography written by the Australian born conductor and scholar , Paul Kildea and published by Penguin. Gramophone magazine has a podcast of Paul Kildea talking to interviewer James Jolly about this major project. http://www.gramophone.co.uk/classical-music-news/benjamin-britten-%E2%80%93-by-his-latest-biographer-paul-kildea
The annual Peggy Glanville-Hicks Address for 2022, this year’s speakers were the pre-eminent didgeridoo player, composer, instrumentalist and vocalist William Barton and music educator and researcher Dr Anita Collins who spoke of the importance of First Nations culture and music education as central topics in Australian new music discourse.
French violinist Matthieu Arama has been appointed Concertmaster of the Opera Australia Orchestra. His term will begin in August 2024.