News

Beethoven For All – free download

    Click on the link below for your free download of the final movement of Beethoven’s Symphony No 9 from Decca’s Beethoven for All collection, performed by the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra conducted by Daniel Barenboim, with soprano Anna Samul, mezzo-soprano Waltraud Meier, tenor Peter Sieffert and bass Wolfgang Koch and the Vokalensemble Kolber Dom. http://www.universalmusic.net.au/freedownloads/beethovenforall…

Barenboim Brings Beethoven for All

    Beethoven for All. Music of Power, Passion and Beauty, West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, Staatskapelle Berlin, Daniel Barenboim pianist and conductor. Decca 478 3513. 2 CD set. The double CD set Beethoven For All- Music of Power, Passion and Beauty from Decca, features pianist, conductor and social activist Daniel Barenboim conducting the West- Eastern Divan…

Avan Yu wins the 2012 Sydney International Piano Competition

  Avan Yu, the 24 year old Hong Kong born Canadian entrant has won the 2012 Sydney International Piano Competition. Yu has earned a sweep of prizes which include recording contracts with ABC Classics and Naxos, a major return tour in Australia, the opportunity to perform at the Klavier-Festival Ruhr in 2013, the Bochum Festival in 2014 and…

The 2012 Sydney Eisteddfod

Keep up with all the results from the 2012 Sydney Eisteddfod: http://www.sydneyeisteddfod.com.au/Results_2012.htm

Classical music in cinema – Gramophone’s top 10

Gramophone magazine nominates its top 10 classical music moments in cinema: http://www.gramophone.co.uk/features/focus/top-10-classical-music-moments-in-cinema Do you have favourites that aren’t on this list? We think that playing the opening bars of the Kyrie from Mozart’s Requiem at the end of Shekar Kapur’s Elizabeth with Cate Blanchett, is pretty potent.

News from the US: Philadelphia and Seattle

…… in news from the US, the Philadelphia Orchestra which shocked the music world by filing for bankruptcy last year  aims to revive itself after court approval of its financial plans: http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/28/bankruptcy-court-gives-blessing-to-philadelphia-orchestra-reorganization/ ……. on the flip side, the Seattle Opera is forced to slash its programme for 2012-2013: http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/27/budget-woes-prompt-cuts-at-seattle-opera/

MSO appoints a new CEO

The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra has a new chief executive. Andre Gremillet comes to the MSO after serving as president as chief executive of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra since 2007. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/arts/music/french-canadian-to-helm-mso/story-fn9d2mxu-1226428527010 http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/07/17/new-jersey-symphony-president-goes-down-under/?ref=music

The Barenboims: the second generation

Musical dynasties have made their mark in music from the days of the Scarlattis and the Bachs, through to the Shankars and the Lennons. Pianist and conductor Daniel Barenboim’s 26 year old violinist son Michael, has for 9 years, been the leader of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, (WEDO) created by Barenboim senior as an act of middle eastern reconciliation. The WEDO…