Strange And Ancient Instruments
Clare Salaman is a British musicians who founded the Society of Strange and Ancient Instruments in 2010 “to explore a repertoire that ranges from folk songs and earthy dances to high art music from the 18th century and before, as well as newly composed pieces.” View this video from the BBC of some instruments in her unusual…
Final Bow For A Fine Cellist
He grabbed a worldwide audience during the closing ceremony of the London Olympics and has had a 40 year career at the pinnacle of performance. Sadly, cellist Julian Lloyd Webber played his final public performance on May 2nd. A slipped disc has caused the 63-year-old musician to call an end to public performing. The Guardian…
May Highlights
This month, Sydney has a feast of fare with concerts that feature some fabulous performers, ensembles and composers. THERE IS NOTHING LIKE A DAME Opera megastar Dame Kiri Te Kanawa is celebrating her 70th birthday with a gala tour performing a selection of her personal favourites with Terence Dennis at the piano. Dame Kiri’s career…
May Newsletter Out Next Week – Are You On Our Mailing List?
The May edition of SoundsClassic, our complementary monthly newsletter featuring the best of SoundsLikeSydney and of Classic Melbourne is out next week. Make sure you’re on our mailing list by subscribing from the top of our home page or our Facebook page. We’d love to hear your thoughts and we’d love you to tell your friends…
The Greatest Forgotten String Quartet: Have Your Say
How often have you returned to a forgotten book or piece of music only to re-discover or even uncover unrealised joys? Vexations 840 has begun a worldwide hunt for The Hunt for the Greatest Forgotten String Quartet and is inviting lovers of chamber music to have their say in a vote and help programme a…
James Eccles Talks About The Aurora Festival: Connecting With new Music
James Eccles is busy putting together the 2014 Aurora Festival. It is his first as Artistic Director of the event and he has to wear many hats which reach well beyond his role as curator and viola player. Nonetheless, he is ‘thrilled’ to be presenting this bi-ennial celebration of New Music, centred in Sydney’s…
Rachmaninov Manuscript Goes To Auction
A rare manuscript of Sergey Rachmaninov’s second symphony, signed by the composer and containing his handwritten notes, is to be auctioned at Sotheby’s in London in May, with an expected price of £1m-1.5m. According to Classical-music.com, the manuscript had been presumed lost since the 1917 revolution, when Rachmaninov fled St Petersburg with only a small suitcase of…
Classical Music In The Mainstream Media – Drowning and Waving
One of the reasons SoundsLikeSydney came into being was to address in some small way the rapidly developing void in classical music content in the mainstream media – and we’re not simply talking about advertising. Increasingly, classical concerts are not being reviewed unless they’re given by excellent, but predictable members of a ‘magic circle’ of…
Jansons To Leave The Royal Concertgebouw
He is only the 7th conductor in the 126 year history of what is regarded as the best orchestra in the world. Now, after 10 years as its chief conductor and leading the orchestra on a world tour to celebrate its 125th anniversary – a tour which included the orchestra’s first visit to Sydney- Mariss…