Latest news
Grigoryans Re-release Rodrigo Guitar Concertos
It was 75 years ago, on November 9 in 1940 that Joaquín Rodrigo’s (1901 – 1999) Concierto de Aranjuez for guitar and orchestra was premiered in the Spanish city of Barcelona. Celebrating the anniversary of this enormously popular concerto, guitarist siblings Slava and Leonard Grigoryan have re-released their CD, Rodrigo Guitar Concertos (ABC Classics 4812231), featuring the three…
Composer And Pianist Matt McMahon Talks About New Band Launch
When nationally renowned viola da gambist Jenny Eriksson formed Australia’s first electric viola da gamba band, Elysian Fields, she had one pianist in mind: Matt McMahon. Jenny and Matt developed their friendship over several years of performing together at jazz gigs. In 2014 she finally invited him to write for, and appear with, her…
‘What’s wrong with the classical concert experience in the 21st century?’
“Because we live in a culture…… where visual stimuli are in the ascendant, sometimes at the cost of sound. Sound is no longer enough…… that music is a worthy pursuit in and of itself is…..being casually dismissed. Classical music now must aspire to offer spectacle – whether a particular piece can take it or not….
Nicole Car Wins Hearts In Her Covent Garden Debut
….meantime at London’s Royal Opera in Covent Garden, Australian soprano Nicole Car has won hearts with her portrayal of Micaëla in Bizet’s Carmen. Making her Covent Garden debut her performance has been described as “the evening’s most complete performance; her luminous soprano proves ideal for Bizet’s soaring lines and she acts with intelligence and immediacy.” The…
Seong-Jin Cho Wins Chopin Piano Competition
Seong-Jin Cho from South Korea has been announced as the winner of the 17th International Fryderyk Chopin Competition recently concluded in Warsaw. The 21-year old student of Michel Béroff at the Paris Conservatoire was in a field of ten finalists drawn from 450 applicants adjudicated by Dmitri Alexeev, Martha Argerich, Philippe Entremont, Nelson Goerner, Garrick Ohlsson and chaired…
Beethoven’s Symphonies Analysed
Gramophone Magazine has packaged its explorations of all of Beethoven’s symphonies by nine leading international conductors – Norrington, Zinman, Jansons, Vänskä, Gardiner, Iván Fischer, Tilson Thomas, Paavo Järvi and Chailly A terrific chance to gain some understanding of these cornerstones of the symphonic repertoire.
Latest reviews
Concert Review: The Russian/ The Metropolitan Orchestra/ Benjamin Kopp
‘The Russian’ The Metropolitan Orchestra/ Benjamin Kopp, piano /Sarah-Grace Williams, conductor 16 April 2016 Eugene Goossens Hall, ABC Centre, Ultimo The Metropolitan Orchestra, now in its seventh year, consists of notably young musicians whose performances display the energy and enthusiasm of youth. Their second MET concert for 2016 consisted of two major works by…
Opera Review: Turandot/ Opera Australia/ Handa Opera On Sydney Harbour
Superlative singing, sensitive staging and exquisite styling infused with the themes of Imperial China have made Turandot on Sydney Harbour arguably the most enjoyable of the productions to date. The co-production between Opera Australia and Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour (HOSH) opened in Sydney last week under crystal clear skies and temperate breezes. (The first…