Latest news
2013 Helpmann Award winners
The 13th annual Helpmann Awards ceremony was held earlier this week in the Joan Sutherland Theatre of the Sydney Opera House. Named after the legenday Australian dancer, actor, theatre director and choreographer Sir Robert Helpmann (1909 – 1986), the awards recognise excellence in live performance, acknowledging its significant contribution to the greater Australian community and recognising distinguished artistic achievement across the major disciplines of…
The voluptuous beauty of ‘La Traviata’
Check out these 9 glorious images from Opera Australia’s production of La Traviata which opened in Sydney this week. Images by Branco Gaica courtesy of Opera Australia
‘Composed Noise’ – a contradiction in terms?
There is a project coming to life in Sydney that is about to overturn long held ideas about composing and performing music. Most of the time, composing would be considered to be an act of deliberate planning. The composer sets out to express an intensely personal statement in harmony, melody and style. Score markings tell…
Thielemann’s ‘Ring’ on disc.
Wagner specialist conductor Christian Thielemann’s reading of the complete Ring Cycle at the Wiener Staatsoper in 2011 was recognised as one of the greatest Wagnerian events of recent times. On August 2nd, Deutsche Grammophon releases a recording of this performance as a boxed set of 14 CDs of the four Ring operas and 2 DVDs featuring four…
‘Anna Netrebko -Verdi’ explores new roles
In her first studio album for five years, Russian soprano Anna Netrebko celebrates the Verdi bicentenary and the dramatic power of his music with a new recording on the Deutsche Grammophon label, available from August 9th. Anna Netrebko – Verdi is a compilation of arias selected by Netrebko herself. They include some rarely heard works from major…
Garrick Ohlsson records Brahms ‘live’ with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
On sale from July 19th, ABC Classics presents the latest addition to the MSO Live Series with a 2 CD set recording of Brahms’ Piano Concertos Nos 1 and 2, in live performances by Garrick Ohlsson and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra conducted by Tadaaki Otaka. Robert Schumann described Brahms as ‘a player of genius who can make the piano…
Latest reviews
Review: ‘Siegfried’ Opera Australia
Opera Australia: Der Ring des Nibelungen: Siegfried Arts Centre Melbourne/22 November 2013 ***** Brünnhilde’s final outpouring to Siegfried at the end of the second day of Wagner’s music drama begins: ‘O kindischer Held! O herrlischer Knabe! Du hehrster Taten töriger Hort!’ The terms ‘childish’, ‘boy’ and ‘foolish’ are among several along these lines that may…
Review: A Ceremony of Carols, The Choir of St James’ King Street
Ceremony of Carols Choir of St James’ Church, King Street, Sydney 23 November 2013 Benjamin Britten was born on St Cecilia’s Day (22 November) 1913 and the Choir of St James’ Church celebrated his centenary with a concert focusing on his music. It provided a splendid conclusion to a year of fine performances under the…