Lifelong female friendship is the subject of this lush weepie, in which a pair of interlinked tales unfold in two timeframes.

Unabashedly autobiographical, Beginners bumbles through the life of lovelorn graphic designer.

Australia’s two most loveable film critics look back on 25 years of At The Movies in a new exhibition. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

Yes, classical music can be funny. Ten thigh-slappingly good piss-takes of the noblest artform.

It is easily forgotten that silent movies were never silent. In classier cinemas one usually found an orchestra of indeterminate size scrabbling furiously in pursuit of the villain, or sympathetically setting the mood for a love scene. Even in smaller establishments there would be at least a pianist banging away. For the most significant films, a full score would be commissioned, and a few of these rarities were so good that they have survived to the present day. Gottfried Huppertz’s score for Metropolis, written in 1927 to accompany the dazzling film by Fritz Lang, is one such example. The useful notes that accompany the CD give us a story of the scrupulous way in which Huppertz approached his job, including visits to the set during filming. Only with the discovery of the missing 20 minutes of footage in 2008 has the fully restored film and its score been rehabilitated.  Interest in the film was rekindled in 1983 when Giorgio Moroder released a partial restoration with a rock score he himself had composed with a little help from his friends, including Freddie Mercury of Queen. Whatever the merits and curiosities of that version, the original 1927 score… Continue reading Get unlimited…

British violinist Jack Liebeck brings a whole new level of brooding romanticism to the moors.

An aging French conjuror, finding himself out of step in a raucous new era, travels to London in search of an audience.

How to make Jane Eyre fresh again?

ABC Television has come under fire for changes to its locally-produced arts programming. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

Genial and general arts all-rounder Stephen Fry provides a useful introduction to Wagner in this new DVD. The film is full of fascinating behind-the-scenes activity in various opera houses, including Bayreuth. It’s also nicely shot, although I found a few of the musical edits a little clumsy. Fry has been criticised for inaccuracy, casual frivolity and for a “gee-gosh” approach to the subject. While there is some merit in those comments, what remains is an engaging journey through the Wagner myth and some of the music; an ideal introduction for those new to the composer and his works – and great fun for the rest of us. Fry also gets to grips with the serious side of the music, and the scene where he examines the astonishing Tristan chord is moving and instructional. Many Wagnerians take a deeply serious approach to the work of the great composer, especially The Ring. But high art needs its populist… Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

Australian classical greats join Nick Cave tribute to Sydney’s cultural cathedral. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

It’s been a charmed career so far for Hayley Westenra. At the age of 16, her crossover album Pure became the fastest selling album in the history of the classical charts, fuelled by Westenra’s blend of choirgirl voice and angelic looks. That was 2003, this is now, and the 23-year-old Westenra, after a stint with crossover hotties Celtic Woman, has scored an astonishing coup in getting Ennio Morricone to provide new bespoke arrangements for an album of his songs. The classic theme from The Mission has been given lyrics for the first time (penned by Westenra), reemerging as Whispers in a Dream alongside tracks freshly squeezed from Cinema Paradiso, Once Upon a Time in the West etc. All these arrangements are conducted by Morricone with his 120-piece orchestra, the Sinfonietta di Roma –  no synthesized strings here. Westenra’s voice has retained all its fabled choirgirl purity; and although it’s far from smooth across its range, she is always pitch-perfect,… Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in