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.

“Art destroys silence”: Shostakovich’s powerful condemnation of anti-Semitism is as relevant as ever.

Old friends and new join together for an evening of fine music making.

A wonderfully intimate offering from Richard Gill's ARCO Chamber Soloists.

In an eclectic ARCO 2018 season, the period band will be exploring the idea that all music is connected and all music was once new. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

Eminent Australian pianist Roger Woodward takes his hat off to the genius of Alexander Gavrylyuk.

“Representing no occasion, no immediate purpose but an appeal to eternity” was how Albert Einstein, (the music critic, not the physicist/philosopher) described Mozart’s last three symphonies. How can such sublime music exist without either social or creative context? They have, rightly, assumed an almost mystical aura. The late Nikolaus Harnoncourt always used to perform them together as he regarded them to be essentially one work. Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic have set new standards in these performances with the wind breathtakingly behind their virtuosic wings: everything seems perfect. I wish I had more space to expatiate on the adrenalin-charged felicities of these accounts. They embody a rare and wondrous fusion of both interpretive “worlds”: the heft and scale of a great symphony orchestra in full cry, with the drama and detail of historically informed or influenced approach. In the Symphony No 39, the clarinets seem more present than ever, and seem to enhance the cheerful bustle, especially in their most prominent appearance in the Trio of the Menuetto. I was glad Rattle observed the repeat in the finale, as, without it, the ending seems abrupt. In the G Minor, the opening mood reminded me of Benjamin Britten’s superb, late-60s…

An agile Helsinki Philharmonic under Storgårds perform convincingly on a sharp, high-quality recording.

Russian conductor Tugan Sokhiev’s recording of two Prokofiev symphonies and the Lieutenant Kijé Suite dates from his tenure as Music Director at the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin. Prokofiev composed the score for Lieutenant Kijé, an early Soviet ‘sound’ film in 1933, the satirical premise of which revolves around a non-existent lieutenant who nonetheless manages to achieve impressive life milestones. Lively, musically illustrative (military marches, sleigh rides) and totally accessible, it’s a perfect curtain-raiser for Prokofiev’s Classical Symphony, so called for its use of reconfigured Haydn-like forms. These indications also permeate Prokofiev’s Seventh and last symphony, presented here with its more usual reworked ending, which Prokofiev was persuaded by his friend Samuil Samosud (and substantial prize money) to amend from the sombre original (Gergiev’s 2004 recording with the LSO is an instructive comparison). The sophistication of Prokofiev’s orchestrations and Sokhiev’s deft touch are highlighted by this excellent recording, which is crisp and sharp, with a very full bottom end and full spectrum of percussive richness. The dynamic variation is sprightly and delicate but still loaded with drama, fairly leaping out of the speakers as a result. Sokhiev’s earlier Sony recording of Prokofiev’s Fifth Symphony was very well-received by critics; this companion set…