A spritely and vibrant Creation from Sir Andrew Davis and the MSO.

The in-demand Australian maestro talks about a life of the road and the importance of the message behind the music.

New Managing Director Sophie Galaise is credited with returning the orchestra to surplus, despite the challenging times.

Keen for his instrument to boldly go where no oud has gone before, Joseph Tawadros has looked to Egypt for his new concerto

Davis' Melbourne Ives cycle reaches its complex conclusion.

The conductor has assembled an international orchestra to celebrate his time with the New York Philharmonic.

Tan Dun's bird-themed jamboree kicks off The Year of the Rooster in style.

Orchestras around the country celebrate the Year of the Rooster as Tan Dun tours Australia.

Sergeant David Griffin was just 27-years old when he wrote The Happiness Box in wartime Singapore. The year was 1942, and the POW wished to create a story for Changi Jail’s child prisoners. Griffin’s fellow inmate Leslie Greener crafted illustrations (which form the cover of this release). Before the final product could be confiscated by the Japanese, the book was buried in an ammunition container for safekeeping, arriving in Australia after the war. It was published in 1947 and now almost seven decades later has been set to music by composer Bryony Marks. Quite a story, right? But despite its heavy history, this is a work that will reach many a child’s heart. It opens with conductor Brett Kelly introducing the instruments and their roles in shaping the characters, and then the Melbourne Symphony begins to tell the story with narration from Stephen Curry. It’s charming and frolicking, and rings with the memories of an Australian countryside Griffin may have yearned for during his captivity and creation of the book. The work is fast-paced and inspires us to visualise Griffin’s story (without ever lingering for too long on any musical idea). Even for an adult listener, it’s… Continue reading Get…

Pin back your ears as six tale-tellers from Australian orchestras share some rippers from the dim and distant past.

If you’ve seen soprano Emma Matthews in an opera you will know that her performance lives long in the memory. It’s not just her glorious, limber voice that captures you but her remarkable acting ability. In short she lights up the stage. Witness the Aussie diva’s extraordinary and moving portrayal of Lucia’s madness a few seasons back for Opera Australia, or her vulnerability in La Traviata and comedic flair in Rossini’s Il Turco in Italia, playing superbly off buffo baritone supremo Paolo Bordogna. This theatrical quality adds immensely to her latest collection of bel canto gems, with ABC Classics following on from her triumphant 2010 Monte Carlo outing on Deutsche Grammophon. Featuring the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra under Andrea Molino, and produced by acclaimed tonmeister Virginia Read, this offering is as good if not better than the yellow label one. Whereas on the former recording Matthews laid out her entire stall and gave us 21 songs over a generous 76 minutes, the new album offers greater cohesion with interconnected moments from La Traviata, Il Turco and a brace each from Bellini’s La Sonnambula and I Puritani. It gets off to an effervescent start with Je veux vivre from Gounod’s… Continue reading…

Dear Prudence, won’t you come out to play a new work by Ian Munro inspired by Mozart’s concerti and Australian folk tunes? Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in