News

A new principal conductor for the waso

The West Australian Symphony Orchestra has appointed a new Principal Conductor to succeed Paul Daniel who ends his contract next year. Asher Fisch is no stranger to Australia having worked here in 2004, conducting Adelaide’s production of The Ring. Since 2007, Asher Fisch has been Seattle Opera’s Principal Conductor. He is a former music director…

Review fom the NYTimes: The ACO at Carnegie Hall

“Intensity and virtuosity are the hallmarks of this orchestra”. Read the New York Times review of the Australian Chamber Orchestra’s performance with soprano Dawn Upshaw at Carnegie Hall early this week. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/02/arts/music/australian-chamber-orchestra-at-carnegie-hall.html?_r=1&ref=music Benefactors, a Stradivarius and The Glide build the bottom line for the ACO: http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/rare-violin-lifts-aco-bottom-line-20120502-1xz60.html http://www.theaustralian.com.au/arts/acos-subscription-switch-wins-surplus/story-e6frg8n6-1226345172062

A documentary on peter sculthorpe

The influence of Peter Sculthorpe on Australian music in the 20th and 21st centuries is beyond measure. The Goldner Quartet aims to document at least some of the essence of this great life and great talent in a new documentary. http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/four-score-and-19-political-quartets-later-20120424-1xj20.html

Welcome David Zinman

  Acclaimed conductor David Zinman conducts the Sydney Symphony Orchestra during May this year in two programmes. Zinman is the Music Director of the Tonhalle in Zurich to which he was appointed in 1995. Renowned for his creative programming, he has also appeared as guest conductor with the major orchestras of the world – the Boston Symphony, Chicago Symphony,…

The Australian Chamber Orchestra at Carnegie Hall

Sydneysiders in New York this week could do worse than to spend the evening of April 30th (Monday) at the Carnegie’s Zankel Hall to hear the “badass classical band” (Time Out New York) The Australian Chamber Orchestra and Richard Tognetti perform with soprano Dawn Upshaw. They will perform the New York premiere of Winter Morning Walks, a cycle of 9…

The Met’s first Ring Cycle is completed

  The first of three complete ‘Ring’ cycles, directed by Robert Lepage and staged by The Met this spring, is over. The NY Times has its say: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/26/arts/music/robert-lepages-first-complete-ring-concludes-at-met.html?_r=1&ref=arts

Steve Reich on minimalism

Steve Reich is in Sydney! He talks to Matthew Westwood from The Australian: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/arts/steve-reichs-sounds-dont-scratch-the-surface/story-e6frg8n6-1226337506454

The movements that make the music

This is an absolutely fascinating animation from the New York Times of the connection between a conductor’s gestures, the responses of the musicians and the sounds that are created. Alan Gilbert, the music director of the New York Philharmonic talks it through: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/04/06/arts/music/the-connection-between-gesture-and-music.html?ref=classicalmusic#

Don Giovanni re-invented…

Paris, London, Los Angeles, Berlin – all these cities will host productions of Mozart’s Don Giovanni in 2012. The London production, is at heaven nighclub and completely re-invents the character…… http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2012/apr/11/don-giovanni-hero-or-villain