Latest news
Opera Australia 2015: “New Frontiers And Broad Appeal”
Opera Australia today launches its 2015 Sydney season with a core of classics performed by a stable of overseas and home-grown masters of their roles and creatives. The programme, it says is “uniquely audience-focused”, “highly accessible” and has the aim of further increasing audience numbers. Speaking to SoundsLikeSydney, Opera Australia’s Artistic Director Lyndon Terracini affirms…
Sculthorpe Tributes
As the nation reflects on the legacy of Peter Sculthorpe, writers review his life and work: Click here to read Vincent Plush in The Australian, Philip Jones in The Australian, Joel Meares in the Sydney Morning Herald.
Vale Peter Sculthorpe
The death was announced earlier this evening of Peter Sculthorpe AO, OBE, arguably the best known Australian composer of the day. He was aged 85. His output included works for orchestra, chamber ensembles, solo instruments and choral works. He is possibly best known for his integration of Aboriginal and South East Asian idioms into his writing creating a distinct…
Hobart Baroque Folds
After two highly popular and successful years, the 2015 Hobart Baroque Festival has been cancelled over funding. Organisers had requested an amount of $3 million over the coming triennium, but for next year had been promised $400,000 the same as in previous years.
Casting The Net For Classical Audiences
With orchestras and opera companies around the world facing an uncertain future, this feature from the New Statesman argues that in London at least, the marketing of classical music events, especially opera, is flawed. It says the selling of opera is too often “conceived by people who already love the art form for people who already love the art…
What Makes The Vienna Philharmonic Unique?
This is a fascinating feature from the New York Times about what makes the Vienna Philharmonic sound so unique. Maestro Zubin Mehta gives his views along with some of the musicians from the orchestra. For a start, the horns and the oboes in the orchestra are of the Viennese type and distinct from those played…
Latest reviews
Opera review: Madama Butterfly/Opera Australia
Madama Butterfly – Giacomo Puccini Opera Australia, Sydney Opera House 27 January 2015 Each year, Opera Australia has followed its Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour production with indoor performances of the same opera during the following year. Presumably this is intended to entice patrons who enjoyed a performance under the stars to try ‘real’ opera…
Review: Tosca/Opera Australia
Tosca – Giacomo Puccini Opera Australia, Sydney Opera House, 13 January 2015 John Bell’s production of Tosca for Opera Australia was first seen 18 months ago. It was very successful then, and is perhaps even more so in the current revival. This compelling production is set in Rome in 1943 during the Nazi occupation…