Australian classical greats join Nick Cave tribute to Sydney’s cultural cathedral. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in
July 27, 2011
The iconic Australian painter and arts philanthropist has died.
July 27, 2011
Controversy and outrage mark a milestone performance at the Bayreuth Festival. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in
July 26, 2011
At 85, American composer Carlisle Floyd still has plenty to say about opera.
July 25, 2011
Daring artist and record industry veteran revolutionised the way we collect music.
July 21, 2011
The little English early music choir with the wacky Italian name (I Fagiolini means “the beans”) has made it to the big-time with its Decca debut, which has outstripped albums by pop stars such as Eminem and Bon Jovi on the British charts. I also say “big-time” because the madrigal specialists have augmented their lineup for this premiere recording of a long-lost High Renaissance masterpiece in forty individual parts. Like Monteverdi a generation later, Alessandro Striggio was employed by the court of Gonzaga and patronised by the powerful Medicis. But his name is associated more often with Thomas Tallis, who famously heard one of Striggio’s 40-part offerings and indulged a little one-upmanship with the same polychoral forces in the famous Spem in alium. Tallis may streak ahead of his… Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in
July 19, 2011
In the post-war years of severe, avant-garde experimentation, it was music made with the human voice that was unafraid to embrace humour and joie de vivre. English choral adventurer Paul Hillier describes the spoken-word, sung, screamed and belched works (composed between 1940 and 1980) on this eclectic disc as “pieces [that] tell a story… but avoid getting to the point”. Or to take a leaf out of John Cage’s philosophy book: “I have nothing to say and I am saying it”. Literature buffs will get a kick out of Cage’s rhythmic, irritatingly catchy Story, a setting of Gertrude Stein’s Dr Seuss-esque children’s verse, “Once upon a time the world was round/and you could go on it around and around,” which pings around in fragmented repetitions as five vocalists revel in… Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in
July 19, 2011
Viola da gamba player Laura Vaughan introduces her ensemble’s debut album of Italianate jewels. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in
July 18, 2011
Do great pianists remember their first lessons? Anna Goldsworthy, Stephen Hough and others share their experiences.
July 14, 2011
Renegade classical pianist headlines. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in
July 12, 2011
Broadway veteran Liza Minnelli has been made an Officier of the Legion of Honour. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in
July 12, 2011
The Cello Symphony was one of Britten’s few substantial pieces of abstract symphonic music, and rather than dubbing it a concerto he places the soloist on more equal footing within the orchestral texture. The orchestration is just as vivid as his music for voice, but it is also one of the composer’s most fierce and challenging scores. The Chandos sound gives much-needed warmth to this angular, thorny terrain. The cello is less forward – and more introspective – than in Pieter Wispelwey’s recent recording, maintaining Britten’s desired balance. By the same token, Paul Watkins doesn’t have quite as much bite as the work’s dedicatee Rostropovich in the 1965 premiere recording conducted by Britten. Watkins maintains edge-of-your-seat energy throughout, particularly in the gutsy Presto inquieto where his virtuosic flair is matched by profound lyricism. The third-movement cadenza and its burnished trumpet obbligato are a highlight. In the Four Sea Interludes… Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in
July 12, 2011
