kissin interview

Conductor Riccardo Muti has been named as the second recipient of the biggest prize in classical music – the Birgit Nilsson Prize. The prize of a million dollars, is a bequest of the late Swedish soprano who died in 2005 aged 87. It is awarded every 2- 3 years for outstanding achievement in opera or concert by…

It’s been a quiet week with the Easter break, but Sydney’s concert scene is getting busy again. In the meantime, here’s a retrospective on Opera on Sydney Harbour, and  review of Reneee Fleming’s latest CD Poemes: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/arts/opera-on-the-water-floats-high/story-fn9d2mxu-1226327245185 http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/arts/poemes-renee-fleming/story-fn9sulvf-1226323885741

More on the dire situation at the ANU School of Music: http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/anu-music-head-on-indefinte-leave-as-tension-builds-20120510-1yemu.html

“A great opera experience — intimate or grand, traditional or unconventional — can have a powerful effect…….. But my gut (and the global decline in opera subscriptions) tells me that when opera tries to sex itself up and compete with mega-spectacles, it loses its power to connect with audiences.” A ‘must-read’ from Lindy Hume,  past…