Carnegie Hall ensemble releases YouTube clip featuring mashup of 43 cartoon favourites.

The music of John Williams deserves to be heard in the concert hall, says the SSO’s new Chief Conductor. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

Thus Spake Zarathustra is Richard Strauss’ most recognisable work. But what ideas lurk behind the fanfare?

Sydney Symphony Orchestra accompany Godfrey Reggio's reflective follow-up to his Qatsi Trilogy.

A crazy week in the life of fictional folk musician Llewyn Davis as he struggles to make it in the heady 1961 Greenwich Village folk scene.

In an era where Harry Potter gets a theme park, surely it’s not too long a literary bow to draw a similar tribute to Jane Austen.

The ACO’s Richard Tognetti’s in the Limelight hot-seat for a special December issue. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

A bildungsroman about beat era poet Allen Ginsberg in his formative college years.

From the iconoclastic John Zorn to a ‘drone metal’ trio head, here is a program not for the faint-hearted. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

Sydney Festival unveils a program of diverse arts and eclectic collaborations.

It’s surprising how rarely Australian cinema takes on the Western. For a country with such a rich sense of place – and so many appropriate locations – it’s odd that the genre is so largely overlooked (often in favour of the kitchen sink). And so Mystery Road wends its way onto the screen as a welcome addition to the Australian cinematic landscape; following in some familiar footsteps, while also carving out a path of its own.   The film unfolds in a languid series of vignettes as our taciturn protagonist, Detective Jay Swan (Aaron Pedersen), traverses his remote hometown investigating the death of  local Aboriginal girl. As Swan circles the dusty roads, each revolution brings him closer to his own past, and deeper into dangerous territory. Largely silent, Swan’s questioning brings him face to face with some brilliant and at times brutally tense cameos from Ryan Kwanten, David Field, Tasma Walton and Jack Thompson. Meanwhile, the effortlessly malevolent Hugo Weaving makes for a jocular antagonist in the form of a fellow cop with some secrets to protect.   Where the film succeeds with its cast, it falters precariously with its pacing. And though Pedersen is a palpable presence, the film’s…

Bring tissues, and be reminded to “relish this remarkable ride” we call life.