English National Opera creates the Charles Mackerras Fellowship
The legacy of Sir Charles Mackerras will be honoured in a new award created by the English National Opera, of which Sir Charles was director from 1970-1977. The first recipient is to be announced in April 2012. More at: http://www.gramophone.co.uk/classical-music-news/eno-announces-the-charles-mackerras-fellowship
Chamber music – 2012 in Sydney
Chamber music is the focus in the continuing overview of Sydney’s 2012 concert agenda. Australia’s flagship chamber ensemble, the Australian Chamber Orchestra continues its innovative and classy programming performing classics as well as thinking outside the square. They’re bringing to Sydney guests artists whom one would otherwise need to travel the world to hear. Chief amongst these…
Opera – 2012 in Sydney
As the summer holidays end and the Sydney Festival wraps up, Sydneysiders contemplate the start of a wealth of subscription series. Despite the struggle to survive and intense competition for audiences and sponsorship, performing arts companies will offer Sydneysiders numerous opportunities for their delectation, ranging from rare one-offs, through to the equivalent of an evening with…
Vale Gustav Leonhardt
Gustav Leonhardt, Dutch harpsichordist, organist and a world authority on early music, has died after ill health caused him to retire from public performance just last month. http://www.gramophone.co.uk/classical-music-news/harpsichordist-and-conductor-gustav-leonhardt-has-died
Gramophone ranks The Sixteen at No 4 in the world.
Here’s the link to Eric Whitacre’s list of his top 20 international choirs and why they deserve to be there. (Gramophone, December 2010). Soon to perform in Sydney, Harry Christophers and his ensemble The Sixteen, are ranked at No 4. Whitacre says: “Under the expert command of founder Harry Christophers, The Sixteen have combined musical excellence with bold,…
Bach in the Dark 2012
Cellist Rachel Scott is presenting her series ‘Bach in the Dark’ again in 2012. In these unusual concerts she invites her audience to the crypt of St James’ Church in King Street Sydney for programmes of music that are founded in the compositions of the great JS Bach, but which she then takes to another…
Science evaulates the art of of the violinmaker – with surprising results!
The Sydney Morning Herald reports on experiment conducted by a researcher at the University of Paris which casts doubt on the superior qualities of violins made by the Italian masters. At the proceedings of the US National Academy of Sciences, Professor Claudia Fritz and her colleagues reported on their double blinded trial in which 21 violinists attending…
Thomas Quasthoff leaves the stage
“Quasthoff has a mellifluous bass baritone (more and more drifting down toward the bass end of the spectrum) with deeply felt musical instincts and a radiant artistic intelligence”. The New York Times 2008. German bass-baritone Thomas Quasthoff has announced his retirement from the stage after a performing career of several decades. He says: “After almost 40…
ACO scores half a century of tours with latest successes in Europe
The Australian Chamber Orchestra has wrapped up a hugely successful and comprehensive tour of Europe with a private recital for Prince Charles and 150 invited guests at St James’ Palace. During the tour, the ACO performed in Birmingham, London, at Vienna’s Musikverein, and Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, in Antwerp, Wilhelmshaven, Luxembourg and Basel. This brings up their half century…