Dramatically astute interpretation of Bach’s almost-operatic masterpiece. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

Much choral food for thought as Paul Stanhope passes the baton. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

A small herd of camels aren’t enough to keep this ship of the desert afloat.

In an exclusive interview the Dutch virtuoso talks about Brahms, her Stradivarius and her musical family.

Wagnerian stars Oleg Bryjak and Maria Radner were among the 150 people on board. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

Celebrated baroque orchestra to tour a pair of concerts to Queensland. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

Limelight takes a look at why Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor still gets us going gaga. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

The arts offers many ways to connect, reflect, express and emote.

City of Paris criticised for refusing a plaque to honour the late great composer. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

Baroque bouquets aplenty, if only the garden had been a little smaller. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

One of the world's very finest choirs transports us to the gates of heaven.

Think you know Richard Strauss’s songs? Think again. Chances are you know a handful, possibly a few dozen, but did you know there are over 190? Brigitte Fassbaender believes it’s the fault of lazy singers and audiences who happily listen to the same ‘Morgens’ and ‘Zueignungs’ time after time, never exploring other riches – and riches there are, several revealed for the first time in this beautifully curated box. Strauss wrote his first song, a charming Christmas ditty, aged six, and his last, Malven, in 1948 at the ripe old age of 78. In between he poured his heart and soul into a series that includes too many masterpieces to mention and remarkably few duds. These recordings, made in Garmisch, the small town where Strauss owned a villa involved 13 singers and Fassbaender herself as narrator of his two melodramas, one of which is the hour-long Enoch Arden. Not every singer is perfect (recording songs in their original – generally high – keys taxes a few), but all round it’s a first rate set, full of discoveries. Among the standouts are mezzo Anke Vondung who gives oodles of gooseflesh with her use of text, delicious high soprano Anja-Nina Bahrmann, and…