Eclectic line-up gives 2014 Festival a dazzling opening night.

Disgraced soprano will perform in support of sexual minorities and victims of violence.

Inside the brilliant mind of the Scottish opera director having his third crack at the Don. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

Paul Stanhope turns Indigenous legend into choral hero. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

The most famous scion of a legendary guitar dynasty talks fathers and sons, working with Joaquín Rodrigo and his proudest moment.

The aptly named Alpha & Omega is the last of three discs of choral music dedicated to the pugnacious Scottish composer James MacMillan by Cappella Nova, a choir with whom he has been associated since at least 1994 when they commissioned his Seven Last Words from the Cross. To say that they are inside his idiom, then, is an understatement. The first two volumes were exemplary, and this new SACD is no exception. MacMillan refers to his attraction to a “soft English modernism” as opposed to the Darmstadt school, which he has always found problematic. His own sound is direct, yet complex; ecstatic, yet grounded in a deep humanity and a desire to communicate his faith – in this case Catholicism. But don’t let that put the rest of you off – his is an engaging sound world with a message that transcends dogma to touch the heart and soul. The major work here is his Missa Dunelmi, written for Durham Cathedral, and here conducted by the composer himself. MacMillan’s melismatic lines and soaring melodies are faithfully conveyed (with a capital F) though the soprano line can feel a little abrasive at times. The other six works are all premiere…

Distinguished soprano who led Sydney Opera House opening production passes away at 67.

Contemporary music’s equivalent of a Heston Blumenthal tasting plate. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

An explosive highlight of the 2010 Adelaide Guitar Festival, Costa plays alongside Pepe Romero. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

Sweeping the cobwebs from one of Salieri's smuttier masterpieces.

Simon O’Neill and Lianna Haroutounian soar over Kupfer’s epic production.

Giant portrait of the Schubert the romantic great lasts half a day before being washed away by the incoming tide.