Vale Lorin Maazel
The conductor Lorin Maazel has died at his home in Virginia aged 84. “By his 11th birthday he had already shared a podium with Leopold Stokowski, while the no less legendary Arturo Toscanini was responsible for getting Maazel his first steady conducting job in 1942, when Maazel was only 12.” More in The Guardian. …
Sydney Musicians in ABC Symphony Australia Young Performer Award Finals
Three outstanding Sydney musicians have made it to the finals of the ABC Symphony Australia Young Performers Awards, which this year celebrates its 70th anniversary. The 2014 finals will be held between 19-28 August in Adelaide. Amongst the finalists are Wahroonga violinist Grace Clifford who is just 15 years old, James Jae-Won Moon, a 27-year-old pianist…
Vale Myer Fredman
The ABC has announced the death of conductor Myer Fredman, who passed away last Friday night in Hobart, aged 82. Myer Fredman was very active in opera and orchestral music in Australian in the 70s, 80s and 90s, in Europe, and especially in his native UK, prior to moving to Australia. He was notable as a…
Otello Picture Gallery
Scroll down to see all eight images from Opera Australia’s current production of Verdi’s Otello. Read our review of Otello Images by Branco Gaica, courtesy Opera Australia.
Was J S Bach A ‘Tedious Old Windbag’?
More than 250 years after his death, scholars of JS Bach continue to peel away the layers revealing new information and giving rise to new propositions about the composer whose music is a cornerstone of the western music canon. The fall of the Berlin Wall laid bare to the west a previously undiscovered repository of…
The SSO Performs Andrew Schultz Commission On China Tour
The Sydney Symphony conducted by David Robertson is wrapping up its third tour to China in five years. A feature of the programme was the work commissioned for the tour by the SSO from Andrew Schultz. Sound Lur and Serpent, Fanfare for Brass and Percussion, Opus 98 is inspired by old brass instruments that resemble the horns…
Sydney Symphony China Tour
After 7 concerts in 12 nights Penny Durham, in The Australian takes a look at David Robertson’s inaugural tour of China with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.
A New Festival Showcases A Cappella Singing
Short+Sweet Voices is an exciting new festival that will showcase a cappella music for groups and choirs, debuting early in 2015 in the Concert Hall at The Concourse Theatre, Chatswood. It promises to stretch the boundaries of choral performance, rewarding innovation, excellence and creativity with prizes and awards for both individuals and groups in singing, vocal arrangement and presentation. …
Rigoletto Picture Gallery
Images from Opera Australia’s current production of Verdi’s Rigoletto show the dark tones of the sinister set which reeks of conspiracy, against which the vivid costumes of the courtiers shine blood-red. Scroll down to see all 7 images. Images by Braco Gaica, courtesy Opera Australia.