An understated announcement that the ANU School of Music is back for the long haul.

Taking upon himself the task of addressing the relative dearth of trumpet repertoire, Swedish master Håkan Hardenberger has built a career on championing modern works from composers such as Henze and Pärt, among others. To these he adds recent concertos by Australian Brett Dean and Italian Luca Francesconi. Dean’s Dramatis Personae is a theatrical work, its first movement pitting a sometimes heroic, sometimes hapless hero against musical forces that constantly threaten to overwhelm. Soliloquy sees our hero turn inward and the work closes with the comical and mischievous Accidental Revolutionary, inspired by the antics of Charlie Chaplin. Hardenberger’s acrobatics underscore this modern musing on the relationship between soloist and orchestra, struggling with and against the Gothenberg Symphony under Storgårds. Francesconi’s Hard Pace is rather different, evoking the lonely lyricism of the trumpet. The composer refers to an affection for Miles Davis in the liner notes. Where Francesconi’s jazz training emerges, however, one is reminded more of the exquisitely spare tension of Polish trumpeter, Tomasz Stan´ko. His evocation of Davis is, however, not so much a referenced musical style as it is about language, poetry, and song. Cast on this curious pairing as both the romantic bard and the virtuosic hero,…

Tognetti and his world-class band scale the heights.

The Scottish composer Erik Chisholm was nicknamed McBartók because his use of traditional Scottish music was similar to his friend Bartók’s treatment of Hungarian folk music. Both composers found a way to integrate ethnomusical sources into classical structures and an imaginative 20th-century idiom. During the Second World War, Chisholm was stationed in India where he fell under the spell of Hindustani music, particularly traditional Indian ragas, and began incorporating them into his work. He noted a resemblance between Indian music and the Scottish bagpipe music called Pìobaireachd – for example, their use of improvisation over a drone. In 1947, Chisholm accepted a university post in Cape Town, South Africa, where he died in 1965 at the age of 61. While in South Africa he wrote several operas and wrote a book that helped revive interest in the music of Janácˇek. Chisholm’s output is barely known today. In 2012, Hyperion released a marvelous disc of his Piano Concertos No 1, Pìobaireachd (1937) and No 2, Hindustani (1949), neatly encompassing his major musical influences. Both are authoritative, colourful and significant works. On this new release, we get two pieces from his Scottish period. The composer’s orchestration of three of his 24 Preludes…

Can a crack creative team turn Muriel’s Wedding into the great Aussie musical?

Slava Grigoryan and ABC Music's labels dominate the nominations, while a Kate Miller-Heidke inclusion raises eyebrows.

A masterful seascape bookended by two youthful works.

A concert to remember, for all the right reasons, with the young musicians performing above expectations.

The orchestra’s board, musicians and CEO have affirmed their support for the YES campaign following community backlash.

In his new work to be premiered by the SSO, the ‘singer/songwriter who grew up’ plumbs ancient soul caves where art awaits. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

For its half-century celebrations, MYO is staging a series of site-specific concerts in State Library Victoria during October. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

Thatcher and the SSO pair a rare beast with a reimagined menagerie.