Latest news
Hamburg appoints Nagano to succeed Young from 2015
The Hamburg State Opera has announced a new team to lead the company from 2015 when the contract of Simone Young comes to an end. Japanese American maestro Kent Nagano, music director of the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal and of the Bavarian State Opera will take on the roles of principal music director and principal conductor…
‘Sappho’ comes to life – Part II
Last week we published the first of a two part interview with emerging conductor Jennifer Condon whose ambition to record Sappho, the forgotten final opera by Peggy Glanville-Hicks has propelled her into the spotlight and into history. Navigating the hurdles, she has landed on the rostrum feet first. The recording was completed last July….
Learn to play the Taiko drum!
TaikOz complement their Sydney concerts this week with long weekend workshops in the art of Japanese drumming. The 90 minute long workshops called “Taiko for everyone” will have enthusiasts learning basic techniques as well as a short piece of music. There are insights into the history and concepts behind the art and the pleasure of making music with…
The genius of Gould
For some, the names of JS Bach and Glenn Gould are inextricably linked. As we commemorate Gould’s birth anniversary on September 25th 1932, The Guardian takes a comprehensive look at his legacy with insights form some of today’s foremost pianists: http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2012/sep/20/glenn-gould-wilfully-idiotic-genius
‘We regret to announce…..’
If you remember soprano Sumi Jo’s sudden departure from Sydney and the role of Lucia and the more recent cancellations of tours by Jessye Norman and Deborah Voigt, then you’re no stranger to the vagaries of casting in opera. Zachary Woolf of the New York Times takes a closer look: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/23/arts/music/karita-mattila-and-peter-gelb-on-cancellations.html?ref=music
‘Sappho’ comes to life – Part I
Part 1 of two-part interview with emerging Australian conductor Jennifer Condon. Nearly 12 months ago, 28 year old Jennifer Condon visited Sydney to garner support for a project fired by a passion that has burned in her for the best part of a decade. During her final year of school in Sydney, she heard a fragment of…
Latest reviews
Glanville-Hicks and gershwin concert reviews
Reviews of two recent Sydney concerts: http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/a-centenary-tribute-to-glanvillehicks-20120520-1yyp7.html http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/gershwin-with-some-fancy-footwork-20120520-1yypl.html
‘ReImaginings’ – Joe Chindamo and Zoe Black
Costello and Krall, Barenboim and du Pre, Sutherland and Bonyge, Laine and Dankworth – all partners on stage and in life, sharing a performing life and a musical genre. Joe Chindamo and Zoe Black share all this as well, except for the fact that they hail from different music backgrounds. Whilst Black is classically trained,…