Latest news
News from the US: Philadelphia and Seattle
…… in news from the US, the Philadelphia Orchestra which shocked the music world by filing for bankruptcy last year aims to revive itself after court approval of its financial plans: http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/28/bankruptcy-court-gives-blessing-to-philadelphia-orchestra-reorganization/ ……. on the flip side, the Seattle Opera is forced to slash its programme for 2012-2013: http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/27/budget-woes-prompt-cuts-at-seattle-opera/
MSO appoints a new CEO
The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra has a new chief executive. Andre Gremillet comes to the MSO after serving as president as chief executive of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra since 2007. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/arts/music/french-canadian-to-helm-mso/story-fn9d2mxu-1226428527010 http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/07/17/new-jersey-symphony-president-goes-down-under/?ref=music
The Barenboims: the second generation
Musical dynasties have made their mark in music from the days of the Scarlattis and the Bachs, through to the Shankars and the Lennons. Pianist and conductor Daniel Barenboim’s 26 year old violinist son Michael, has for 9 years, been the leader of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, (WEDO) created by Barenboim senior as an act of middle eastern reconciliation. The WEDO…
The Choir of St James’ launches CD project
The Choir of St James’ King Street has been busy recording music for a CD project, Metamorphosis. Recorded in the reverberant acoustic of the crypt of St Mary’s Cathedral, the project is seeking funding for the CD to become a reality. However, the works recorded include: Twist J: Lamentation of Jeremiah Versa est…
Pianist bridges the political chasm
This week, Richard Tognetti along with ACO2 and guest artists have packed their surf gear and travelled the country presenting The Reef. which comes to Sydney on Monday July 23rd. Back in Sydney, three core members of the Australian Chamber Orchestra are performing Schubert’s Trout Quintet and Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time with…
Accolades for Carolyn Watson
Sydney conductor Carolyn Watson’s star continue to rise as she has headed off to Europe for the northern summer. She sent Sounds Like Sydney a ‘postcard’ from Berlin. “I’m writing this from Berlin where I’ve just arrived. Very fortunately, I was named as the recipient of Opera Foundation Australia’s 2012 Berlin New Music Opera Award,…
Latest reviews
Danielle de Niese with the Australian Chamber Orchestra
On hearing that I was attending the opening night of Danielle de Niese’s concert season with the Australian Chamber Orchestra in Sydney, a friend asked me to let him know whether I thought he should go along to hear her. Twenty four hours after the concert, I’m still deliberating on my response to him. Danielle de Niese is…
‘Fast Blue Village’: Kats-Chernin has the last laugh
Fast Blue Village has the perfect formula – an immensely popular living composer, an ensemble selected by her to record her music and a recording producer with a sharply honed instinct for how the composer wants her music to sound. The composer is Elena Kats-Chernin who heard the Acacia Ensemble play some of her music early in 2011. She decided they had the sound she…