Latest news
More soloists announced for Sappho
In November last year, Sounds Like Sydney published an interview with emerging conductor Jennifer Condon, presently working as Souffleuse at the Hamburg State Opera. https://www.soundslikesydney.com.au/wp-admin/post.php?post=5917&action=edit She has however, a burning ambition which has dictated much of how she has spent her time for past 10 years: she wants to bring to life Sappho, the…
opera update….an new name for the opera theatre
How did this get past us??! The opera theatre of the Sydney Opera House will be named in honour of Dame Joan Sutherland: http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/opera/theatre-rename-honours-la-stupenda-as-house-awaits-la-traviata-20120316-1vanu.html An update on La Traviata on Sydney Harbour: http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/opera/nervous-wait-for-opera-australia-as-weather-plays-its-part-20120328-1vyla.html
Dancing with the piano – Zubin Kanga performs in London
Pianist Zubin Kanga recently performed a programme of ‘new music’ in London. It involved ideas that brooked traditional concepts of how the instrument is played. Read more at: http://www.icareifyoulisten.com/2012/03/piano-insideout-zubin-kanga-kings-place-london/
Jonathan Lemalu learns a libretto in a new language
Grammy Award winning New Zealand born bass-baritone Jonathan Lemalu (he’s sung Leporello in Mozart’s Don Giovanni for OA in Sydney) has had to meet a new challenge – that of learning a libretto in Chinese. He talks about it in this blog. (The Grammy Award was in 2010 for Best Opera Recording Billy Budd) http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/musicblog/2012/mar/26/learning-to-sing-chinese-songs
Quotas on overseas singers: another view
Baritone Peter Coleman-Wright offers a view on the suggestion by OA artitic director Lyndon Terracini that quotas be lifted on the hiring of non-Australian singers: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/arts/cast-operas-with-the-singers-you-have-baritone/story-fn9d2mxu-1226312053899
Casting quotas in opera
OA artistic director Lyndon Terracini believes that quotas on the hiring of non-Australian singers should be lifted. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/arts/lyndon-terracini-blasts-prehistoric-union-opera-quota/story-e6frg8n6-1226310782416
Latest reviews
I Musici review
Sydney turned on its glorious best last Sunday for I Musici’s Italian Summer presentation in the Royal Botanic Gardens: http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/inventive-renditions-cast-spell-despite-intrusions-20120227-1tyv0.html
The King’s Singers reviewed
Music critic for the SMH, Peter McCallum reviews the recent Sydney performance by the King’s singers: http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/welltailored-sound-and-gentle-parody-make-a-right-royal-treat-20120220-1tjgp.html