COVER STORY
Joshua Bell
With a full time concert and recording career, not to mention a string of TV appearances like Mozart in the Jungle, the violin virtuoso has still found time to take up the leadership of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields. Ahead of their Australian tour, we profile a young gun turned experienced hand.

FEATURES
Theme & Variations
Few read Goethe’s Wilhelm Meister nowadays, yet its songs remain among the most popular ever set. Malcolm Martineau is an expert guide through 100 years in the life of Mignon.

The Marchesi Effect
To Australians, Nellie Melba may be the most famous pupil of Madame Mathilde Marchesi, but in the 19th century she was everyone’s go-to for vocal lessons. So what was her secret?

Kate the Great
Currently playing Shakespeare’s Richard III, she’s also written a new play about the notorious ‘mad monk’ Rasputin. We ask a hectic Kate Mulvany how she remembers what day it is.

Wagner in Love
Richard Wagner could never be described as backward in coming forward, especially in matters of the heart. Peter Bassett examines the musical fruits of his various amours.