Rinat and company star in dazzling Carmen – an opera review by Victor Grynberg
February 13, 2018 by Victor Grynberg
It was a lot more than Israeli Carmen superstar Rinat Shaham and the glorious music of Georges Bizet that prompted the audience to rise as one for a rapturous standing ovation at the premiere last Saturday night. Read more
La Traviata returns to the Opera House
February 7, 2018 by Arts Editor
Award-winning Australian soprano, Nicole Car, will make a triumphant return to the Sydney Opera House this summer to make her debut in the title role of Violetta Valéry in Verdi’s iconic La Traviata. Read more
Mozart is a Manny splendoured thing: a music review by Fraser Beath McEwing
February 6, 2018 by Fraser Beath McEwing
If you want to put bums on seats you schedule all-Mozart programs. And if you want to add a bit of high-wire thrill you bring in Emanuel Ax to play two piano concertos per concert. That’s what spawned sell-out houses to the SSO’s opening series for 2018. Read more
A good nose job is hard to find: Kosky’s The Nose premieres in Australia
January 26, 2018 by J-Wire Newsdesk
The Australian premiere of Barrie Kosky’s new production of the rarely performed Shostakovich classic The Nose has become the most highly anticipated production of Opera Australia’s Sydney Summer Season following its critically acclaimed debut in London in 2017. Read more
An Israeli Carmen
January 23, 2018 by J-Wire Newsdesk
After a sell-out season in 2016, John Bell’s vibrant production of Bizet’s Carmen, featuring gypsy girls and bull-fighting boys in eye-popping colours, returns to the Sydney Opera House next month. Read more
A big night with the three Bees…a music review by Fraser Beath McEwing
November 30, 2017 by Fraser Beath McEwing
I have a feeling that the SSO wanted its APT Master Series to finish the year on a high when it nudged its budget with a big orchestra, solo singers, a male chorus (on loan from the Australian Opera) and powered up the organ. Read more
Winners of Chamber Music to perform at The Great
November 28, 2017 by J-Wire Staff
After sell out performances at East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation, Affinity Collective celebrates Jewish and Czech music at Sydney’s The Great Synagogue. Read more
Voices adds Sydney to its thrilled list
November 23, 2017 by J-Wire Staff
The Voices spectacular thrilled two sell-out audiences in Sydney last week, following two equally successful earlier performances in Perth and Melbourne. All were greeted by standing ovations by an enthusiastic, cheering audience… Read more
Gavrylyuk stunned his audience – literally: a music review by Fraser Beath McEwing
November 21, 2017 by Fraser Beath McEwing
I’ve never been to a piano recital quite like this one. Ukrainian pianist, Alexander Gavrylyuk, took his audience on such an emotionally demanding journey that, in the end, they felt as exhausted listening as he probably did playing and demanded only one encore before escaping into the balmy Sydney night. Read more
A night for Shostakovich fans – a music review by Fraser Beath McEwing
November 14, 2017 by Fraser Beath McEwing
A whole program of Shostakovich was something of a gamble for the SSO concert last night, because not everybody likes his music. Luckily, I’m one who does, although my love blossomed only after many hearings. Read more
Two big fish and one tiddler: a music review by Fraser Beath McEwing
October 28, 2017 by Fraser Beath McEwing
The SSO concert in the APT Master Series presented two major works: the Sibelius Violin Concerto in D minor, Op 47 and Mahler’s Symphony No.1 in D major. Read more
Madama Butterfly: an opera review by Victor Grynberg
October 25, 2017 by Victor Grynberg
Last July Victoria’s Minister for Creative Arts, (in)famously accused Opera Australia of being happy to have an audience that will “die in their seats”. Read more
Four out of six were made in Australia…a music review by Fraser Beath McEwing
October 19, 2017 by Fraser Beath McEwing
The SSO’s Emirates Metro Series chose the theme of fire for its Opera House concert last night. And fiery it was – mostly. Australian composer Brett Dean conducted his own Fire Music while Australian pianist, Piers Lane, had to fire up to get into the ring with Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No.3 in D minor leaving Sibelius to represent Finland with six minutes of Scene with Cranes Op 44 No2. Read more
Two old friends and a stranger…a music review by Fraser Beath McEwing
August 24, 2017 by Fraser Beath McEwing
The SSO concert last night just kept getting better as it went from Mendelssohn to Mackey to Dvorak. Read more
Imogen Cooper gave a scholarly performance
August 22, 2017 by Fraser Beath McEwing
Although the tiger never got out of the cage, English pianist Imogen Cooper gave an impeccable account of Beethoven, Haydn and Ades at Sydney’s Recital Hall…writes Fraser Beath McEwing. Read more
Australian World Orchestra’s chamber spin-off…a music review by Fraser Beath McEwing
July 26, 2017 by Fraser Beath McEwing
With the veracity and popularity of the Australian World Orchestra now firmly established, its creators, led by conductor Alexander Briger, no doubt feel the need for development. That’s what last night’s chamber music concert was all about. Read more
Mahler’s longest – but worth the wait: a music review by Fraser Beath McEwing
July 20, 2017 by Fraser Beath McEwing
The perceived popularity of Mahler’s third symphony was illustrated by the SSO scheduling four performances, three of them in its APT Master Series – rare for any work. The first, in the Opera House last night, vindicated the decision, with a virtually full house which was rewarded with an outstanding musical event. Read more
Out of the Shadows: rediscovering Jewish music and theatre
July 4, 2017 by Community newsdesk
Music and theatrical works of Jewish refugee artists fleeing fascist persecution in the 1930s and 1940s will be rediscovered in a one-off festival staged by the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and the Seymour Centre next month. Read more
A bit of Bach and a bunch of Brahms…a music review by Fraser Beath McEwing
July 4, 2017 by Fraser Beath McEwing
A hearty main meal had been prepared for Brahms lovers, but not before Israeli/American pianist, Orli Shaham, had served up a substantial starter of Bach. Read more
Forbidden Music: Composers banned by the Third Reich
July 3, 2017 by Stevie Whitmont
The last of a series by Stevie Whitmont of music banned by the Nazis…this month features Erwin Schulhoff [1894-1942]. Read more
And then along came Yuja: a music review
June 30, 2017 by Fraser Beath McEwing
What started out as a ‘special event’ SSO concert, then fell in a hole when the star attraction pulled out, finished up as a roaring success – thanks to a sexy Chinese girl pianist in a stunning, partly see-through evening dress…writes Fraser Beath McEwing Read more
The Australian World Orchestra returns
June 22, 2017 by J-Wire News Service
The Australian World Orchestra (AWO) has announced two major performance events for their 2017 season, with internationally renowned conductor Simone Young returning to lead musicians from the AWO and the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM) in a spectacular one-off performance of Olivier Messiaen’s orchestral masterpiece Turangalîla-Symphonie at Melbourne’s Hamer Hall. Read more
Forbidden Music: Composers banned by the Third Reich
June 17, 2017 by Stevie Whitmont
Continuing a series by Stevie Whitmont of music banned by the Nazis…this month features Darius Mihaud (1892-1974). Read more
Hard at the top: Fraser Beath McEwing meets composer Elena Kats-Chernin
June 12, 2017 by Fraser Beath McEwing
Composing classical music is a fraught occupation and Elena Kats-Chernin is not exempt from feeling its pressure. Read more
Tsujii set the feet stamping…a music review by Fraser Beath McEwing
May 23, 2017 by Fraser Beath McEwing
Japanese pianist, Nobuyuki Tsujii, sent the usually reserved Sydney Recital Hall audience into rapturous applause last night, and it wasn’t because he has been able to totally conquer the restrictions of blindness from birth. Read more
Forbidden Music: Composers banned by the Third Reich
May 4, 2017 by Stevie Whitmont
Continuing a series by Stevie Whitmont of music banned by the Nazis…this month features Bertholdt Goldschmidt (1903-1996). Read more
Mozart with differences: Fraser Beath McEwing report from New York
April 21, 2017 by Fraser Beath McEwing
My reviews usually come from the Sydney Opera House but this time I’m reporting from Carnegie Hall in New York on a J-Wire special assignment. Read more
Klezmatics and David Krakauer heading to Australia
April 16, 2017 by Geoff Sirmai
In news for lovers of Jewish music, Sydney is set to thrill to a double dose of the finest international world music stars in the genre. Read more
Forbidden Music: Composers banned by the Third Reich
April 7, 2017 by Stevie Whitmont
Continuing a series by Stevie Whitmont of music banned by the Nazis…this month features Adolf Busch (1891-1952). Read more
A night of rich rewards…a music review by Fraser Beath McEwing
March 30, 2017 by Fraser Beath McEwing
A blend of Johannes Brahms and Richard Strauss provided an uplifting SSO concert last night. I dips me lid to the programmers. Read more