Latest news
Benjamin grosvenor ‘Rhapsody in Blue’ – a formidable talent
Playtime for a young Benjamin Grosvenor was less about manipulating a games console or donning mouthguard and shin pads. For him, ‘playtime’ meant time with his beloved piano – “the big shiny black thing in the music room – very exciting for a child”. This fascination took him from starting pianos lessons aged…
Hot off the press –
Elena Kats Chernin is at work on a new composition: http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/many-lands-and-voices-capture-core-of-countrys-heart-20120809-23wu5.html A preview of Zubin Kanga’s Sydney concert http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/dont-try-this-on-the-new-steinway-kids-20120812-242p3.html
Victorian Pianist wins Sydney Eisteddfod Piano Scholarship
Twenty-four-year-old Victorian pianist Konrad Olsezewski has taken out the prestigious $10,000 Allison/Henderson Sydney Eisteddfod Piano Scholarship with a winning performance, Konrad played the Piano Sonata No 2 in B-flat minor, Opus 36, (1st version) by Sergei Rachmaninoff. Konrad recently completed a Bachelor of Music with Honours at the University of Melbourne and is now studying for a…
Now its opera under the water
Sydney presented opera on the harbour. Now German soprano Claudia Herr presents the world premiere of her vocal work under the waters of the river Elbe in Dresden. The performance commemorates the devastating floods that hit Saxony 10 years ago. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-19215589 http://www.germany.info/Vertretung/usa/en/__pr/P__Wash/2012/08/09ElbeOpera.html
BBC Music magazine looks at opera’s 20-20
BBC Music magazine turns 20 next month and to mark the occasion, has collected images from 20 outstanding opera productions over the past 20 years. Take a look at this intriguing picture gallery – and to add some spice, hide the caption and try to guess the opera, the production, the year and the singers….
Monteverdi meets the marimba
When Synergy Percussion under its Artistic Director Timothy Constable presents Masterpieces of Time, later this August, some of the music performed will pre-date by centuries, the instruments on which it will be performed. Herr Bach, Monsieur Couperin and Mr Handel will meet the marimba, vibraphones, bells, gongs, mechanical music boxes, prepared piano and steel drums. It doesn’t make the original versions obsolete, but…
Latest reviews
The ACO with Ashkar and Dean
Harriet Cunningham reviews the ACO’s Trout Quintet/Quartet for the End of Time concert: http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/urgent-intense-and-inspirational-20120715-223zx.html
The Good, the Bad and the Awkward – A new recording from Sally Whitwell
Researching the material for her new album, The Good, the Bad and the Awkward I imagine pianist Sally Whitwell reclining in an armchair in front of her television with a box of truffles and a magnum of French champagne slaving her way through dozens of movie classics. She admits that researching this project, was ‘too much fun’. The Good, the Bad and the Awkward is a…