Marimba Concerto Fuses Latin and Classical styles
Daniel Rojas As the premiere of his Marimba Concerto draws near, composer Daniel Rojas reflects on the excitement of the occasion. He writes: “A world premiere of any orchestral work is a rare occasion. I often compare it to the launch of a new novel or the opening night of a new movie or…
Stradivari’s creations on display in Oxford
If you’re visiting the United Kingdom this northern summer and you’re an aficionado of the violin, a day trip out of London to Oxford’s Ashmolean Museum could just be your idea of heaven as it puts on display 21 instruments created by the master craftsman Antonio Stradivari (c.1644–1737). Stradivari didn’t only make violins – he made…
“No such thing as an ‘overnight success’ in opera” – Dame Kiri
Dame Kiri Te Kanawa is refreshingly honest about the trend to fast-track singers to classical singing without the vital technical foundations. Click here to read The Guardian.
Stories in music as Jane Sheldon and Acacia Quartet launch ‘North+South’
In the intimate setting of the Sydney Philharmonia space at The Wharf, soprano Jane Sheldon and the Acacia Quartet launched their recent CD North+South, recorded with harpist Genevieve Lang, in an evening of stories in music as Acacia also performed two works for string quartet composed by Lyle Chan. Now based in the US, Jane Sheldon sang a selection of 10 folk songs from…
The curse on ‘The Ring’
It seems that this opera has a phantom that simply can’t be shaken. The Melbourne production of Wagner’s Ring Cycle scheduled for late 2013 is seeking a conductor at short notice after the designated conductor Richard Mills resigned. Productions of Wagner’s Ring are said to be jinxed – a phenomenon discussed in Stephen Fry’s excellent 2010 BBC…
More about Mills….
Today’s report from The Australian on Richard Mills’ resignation from the Melbourne ‘Ring’cycle.
Pianos for the people
For the third consecutive year, the city of New York has been dotted with 88 pianos (equalling the number of keys on a piano), offering anyone who is taken by the urge, to sit down and tickle the ivories. An initiative of Sing for Hope, a not for profit organisation, the pianos will be moved…
Stephen Hough on happiness
Named in 2009 as one of the top 20 living polymaths, Stephen Hough talks about his main preoccupation – happiness – both for himself and bringing it to others through his music. Click here to read the feature in The New Statesman.
A New General Manager for La Scala
Alexander Pereira, the Austrian director of the Salzburg festival has been appointed General Manager of Teatro alla Scala in Milan. He will work with the Music Director Daniel Barenboim at the historic opera house which was inaugurated in 1778. The incumbent GM, Stéphane Lissner, appointed in 2005, will take over the Paris Opera in 2015. La Scala boasts…