The Sydney-born Heldentenor triumphs as the first ever Australian Tristan at the Metropolitan Opera.

And now for something completely different? By general agreement, Rattle’s 2003 cycle of Beethoven symphonies with the Vienna Philharmonic was inconsistent and hastily packaged, the conscious Haydnesque jollities of the First and Second symphonies – clearly Rattle had been listening to John Eliot Gardiner and Frans Brüggen – rubbing awkwardly against visions of the Third, Fifth and Ninth swept along by broad sweeps of Romanticism, like Rattle had also swallowed huge chunks of Wilhelm Furtwängler. Rattle is on record as saying that Furtwängler’s 1942 recording of the Choral Symphony epitomises everything genuinely great about the Berlin Philharmonic, its string sound in particular. And here’s the great paradox of this fresh Beethoven cycle, recorded with the Berlin Philharmonic in October 2015 – a decade on from his first attempt, Rattle has managed to make the yin and yang of HIP and a Romantic underbelly coexist and these Berlin Philharmonic readings sound less obviously indebted to its own heritage. “You can try to make [Beethoven] agree with himself when often he’s fighting with himself,” Rattle says in the bonus documentary included as part of the package. “But I have… Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a…

The Oscar-winning Australian actress will be an official representative of the United Nations around the world.

The new chief conductor of the LSO shares his thoughts on the life of the revered composer, who died earlier this week. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

Editor’s Choice, Jan/Feb 2016 – Orchestral Nearly 30 years ago Simon Rattle recorded a cycle of the Sibelius symphonies in Birmingham and despite the adulation of some critics the set left others cold with their infuriating undercutting of brilliant insight with arch mannerisms. His textural clarity and bold delineation of dynamics that served him so well for Stravinsky was evident, but his tendency to prod and poke at phrasing and rhythms tended to pull the rug from under Sibelius’s carefully prepared climaxes. His latest readings bear similar traits, and while that implies a consistent point of view, he hasn’t yet convinced me, despite the glorious playing. Rehearing earlier accounts from Karajan, Kamu or Levine reminds one how different today’s Philharmoniker sounds from that of old; gone is the luxuriant plush sound with laser-like focus and bottomless reserves of tone. In its place is a lean transparency and limpid beauty of sound, but still with plenty of weight and malleable sonority. Sample the opening of the Third Symphony. It’s as cool and transparent as melt-water while the moments of hush have remarkable focus at a barely perceptible dynamic. Or… Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already…

For the first time, we asked our readers to vote for their favourite artists. Combined with our critics’ votes, this is who you chose. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

Sir Simon Rattle, Daniel Barenboim and Christoph Eschenbach back the orchestra’s campaign to house homeless refugees. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

Sir Simon Rattle and wife Magdalena Kožená struck down with virus just hours before Melbourne performance. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

On being reminded of the brilliance of Australian artists. This week we’ve been reminded of the brilliance of Australian artists, not once, but twice. Firstly on Monday the 15th annual Helpmann Awards recognised the achievements of the past year’s best performing arts events. As expected many of the biggest companies took home the top gongs, with Cameron Mackintosh, Sydney Dance Company and Sydney Theatre Company all taking home multiple laurels. However perhaps the most interesting success of the night was that of Leo Schofield’s Brisbane Baroque, which swept the opera categories winning five bobbys for its production of Handel’s Faramondo. This must surely have been a moment of blissful validation for Schofield, who after resurrecting his Hobart-based festival in Queensland in response to inadequate state funding from the Tasmanian Government, managed to dominate the goliath competition of Opera Australia in just about every category; a demonstration that big budgets and abundant funding are not the only paths to achieving great art. On Wednesday night, the Sydney Opera House’s concert hall welcomed an astonishing legion of Australia’s most talented orchestral players, united under the baton of Sir Simon Rattle for the Australian World Orchestra’s 2015 season. The tangible electricity of the audience’s……

Following the orchestra’s triumphant 2015 season opener, Sir Simon praised AWO as one of the world’s great orchestras. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

Rattle’s wizardry conjures ethereal Debussy and earth-shattering Bruckner.

Australian World Orchestra's Guest Conductor helps shed light on the Eighth Symphony of the Austrian behemoth.