As a contemporary of Strauss and Schoenberg, it was inevitable that Alexander Zemlinsky’s brilliance would be overshadowed.

Butel captivates as flawed Renaissance physician in Finsterer's new opera.

The French conductor (and close associate of Maria Callas), who thought of himself as Viennese, has passed away at 92. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

A planned performance of excerpts from the avant-garde 20th-century masterpiece has drawn condemnations of “elitism”. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

This particularly rapid unintelligible patter isn’t generally heard and if it is it doesn’t matter, matter, matter, matter...

The Finnish composer shocked many in the establishment when he embraced a popular mysticism with his musical angels.

From science to surgery by way of a treatise on cheating, Mary Finsterer’s new opera runs one man’s extraordinary gamut.

The opera conductor has taken on the task of ensuring that these Aussie greats are not forgotten. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

The French conductor discusses unearthing the Sun King’s finest hour and how too many cooks didn’t spoil this particular broth. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

Netrebko’s stream of sound is often beautiful, though text isn’t her strong suit.

Gianni Schicchi, Puccini’s only comedy, was the last in his penultimate opera, Il Trittico, premiered in New York in 1918.Schicchi, often performed separately, tells of a money-grabbing family undone by an unscrupulous lawyer. Apart from the lawyer, the only people to emerge unscathed are Schicchi’s daughter Lauretta (she of O mio babbino caro fame) and her lover Rinuccio. Puccini was an entertainer. He didn’t moralise in the way Verdi did, but his operas, despite years of sniffing from the musical establishment remain brilliant creations, with remarkable melodies and superb orchestrations. His flair for the dramatic is ever present and the matching of music to text is remarkable. Rinuccio’s glorious aria in praise of Florence, for example, is tucked seamlessly into the narrative. Woody Allan directs adroitly, his added treats in no way undermining the work. The busy cast perform well, and although the days are long gone when opera singers could stand like statues, opera ‘acting’ still hovers. This is especially noticeable when the camera closes in on the action. Sadly, the audio recording is dead dull and the orchestra under Grant Gershon, performs perfunctorily. So buy it for Domingo’s saturnine Schicchi and Allen’s clever production. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from…

Sergeant David Griffin was just 27-years old when he wrote The Happiness Box in wartime Singapore. The year was 1942, and the POW wished to create a story for Changi Jail’s child prisoners. Griffin’s fellow inmate Leslie Greener crafted illustrations (which form the cover of this release). Before the final product could be confiscated by the Japanese, the book was buried in an ammunition container for safekeeping, arriving in Australia after the war. It was published in 1947 and now almost seven decades later has been set to music by composer Bryony Marks. Quite a story, right? But despite its heavy history, this is a work that will reach many a child’s heart. It opens with conductor Brett Kelly introducing the instruments and their roles in shaping the characters, and then the Melbourne Symphony begins to tell the story with narration from Stephen Curry. It’s charming and frolicking, and rings with the memories of an Australian countryside Griffin may have yearned for during his captivity and creation of the book. The work is fast-paced and inspires us to visualise Griffin’s story (without ever lingering for too long on any musical idea). Even for an adult listener, it’s… Continue reading Get…