Bernstein's masterpiece screens at the Sydney Opera House with live orchestral backing.
January 24, 2012
If this release was intended as a snapshot or showcase for the current state of the Sydney Symphony, it would zoom into the five-star category. The playing is some of the best I’ve ever heard from them. The felicities are too numerous to mention here, but I’ll cite the quadruple flute passage in the first movement development; the horns cover themselves with glory in the slow movement and Emma Matthews is fine in the finale, sounding innocent and then appropriately dreamy. Alas, a clear recommendation is not that simple – the playing and engineering are outstanding, but I’m still not convinced that Ashkenazy has anything especially interesting to say about Mahler. The first movement hums along well enough but lacks any lyrical intensity. I’m not suggesting Mengelbergian rubato pulling the music out of shape, but a slightly more varied pulse and more inflection would be welcome. The second movement effectively blends rustic awkwardness with a dark undercurrent (as with the equivalent movement in the Sixth Symphony, where it’s hard to tell whether the music depicts children at play or a sinister troupe of marionettes). The “Heaven’s Gate” climax in the adagio (relatively swift, like Klemperer’s) is well… Continue reading Get unlimited…
November 23, 2011
Ingrid Fliter is an impressive Argentinian pianist who recently toured Australia. Following two acclaimed Chopin discs, her new recital of three of Beethoven’s Sturm und Drang sonatas is also something of a winner. Fliter plays Beethoven with an appropriately Classical demeanour. She limits the dynamic extremes and does not overdo the rubato, but within that spectrum she points detail and gets the balance right. The opening of her Pathétique is slow without being solemn, then bracingly fleet once the Allegro begins. The lovely slow movement is meltingly played. Fliter transforms the stop/start passages of the Tempest sonata’s first movement into episodes of genuine urgency and repose. This is a gripping performance. The Appassionata poses a greater challenge, both emotionally and technically. In spite of her easy flowing pianism, which takes every technical hurdle in its stride, I fear Fliter often settles for a generalised sound here – big and loud, or slow and soft as the case may be – whereas Paul Lewis, whose Appassionata is one the best recordings in his Beethoven survey, maps the emotional contours of this forward-looking work with unwavering focus, making something unique and specific of every moment. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per…
November 3, 2011
I’ve always found Richard Strauss’s character a real mystery: a smug, rather banal bourgeois with a narcissistic streak, he wrote sublime music which itself often teeters on the edge of banality. I enjoyed this Heldenleben but, at 47 minutes, the hero, while not exactly an arthritic Colonel Blimp, isn’t a young buck full of rising sap, either. This is surprising, considering Yannick Nézet-Séguin is one of the most athletic conductors around today. The opening lacks the self-confident swagger that Beecham brought to it for EMI (at the age of 80). In the second movement, the “battle” rages effectively enough, although I can never escape the feeling that Mahler depicts his critics far more bitingly in the Rondo burlesque of his Ninth Symphony. Strauss’s wife Pauline, a granite-jawed termagant in real life, comes across relatively sympathetically in the extended (and ravishingly played) violin solo of the third movement. The ending, depicting the hero’s retrospective contemplation, is simply too slow, although the Rotterdam Philharmonic’s horns are glorious. The orchestra, which plays well throughout, also sounds very distant and was recorded at a curiously low level. I’d prefer any of Karajan’s readings, or Fritz Reiner’s legendary RCA one. The… Continue reading Get unlimited…
November 3, 2011
Excerpts from Star Wars, Harry Potter, Superman etc. Shaun Micallef; SSO/Guy Noble Sydney Opera House Concert Hall, August 12 Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in
August 15, 2011
Pinchas Steinberg shows what a difference diligent and inspiring conducting can make.
July 19, 2011
The principal flautist of the Berlin Philharmonic returns to Australia with Mozart, Bach and an exciting premiere. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in
July 4, 2011
Stuart Maunder directed, compèred and played the patter roles very adroitly and the cast was largely in good form.
June 27, 2011
On the centenary of WS Gilbert’s death, Tom Ford sheds light on the life without Sullivan. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in
June 8, 2011
Artists of Kempf's calibre should be treasured.
May 19, 2011
How to stream classical music live and on demand from the world's greatest orchestras and opera companies.
May 17, 2011
The Scottish pianist on improvisation, Mozart, and a broken finger. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in
May 11, 2011
