Music Education &
Performing Arts Consultant
Biding fond farewells are always filled with heart-reaching moments. This will be no further from the truth when the acclaimed Tokyo String Quartet makes its final tour of Australia this month. Established since 1969, the Quartet has attracted accolades across the world for its “exemplary chamber music” (The New York Times). Making the decision to … Read more
Konzerthaus Kammerorchester Berlin, Andre de Ridder (Conductor), Daniel Hope (Solo Violin); DG 481 0044 It may seem an absolute sacrilege to think that Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons needs to be re-composed or re-invented in some way, thus it was with some trepidation with which I listened. However, the playing of the score (its original, along with … Read more
Genevieve Lacey, Neal Peres Da Costa, Daniel Yeadon ABC 476 5105 From the outset, the exuberance and clarity of tone of this recording makes a huge impact. It is an enormously gratifying aural experience, in which three of the country’s finest exponents of early music perform works written hundreds of years ago, whilst bringing to … Read more
ABC Classics 476 5039 Rhythmically charged and sporting titles which avoid the “string quartet” tag, these pieces use the abundant forces at the disposal of the string quartet, but allow for greater impact by means of seeking new expressive ideas, whether they be rhythmic, harmonic, melodic, or colouristic. Recorded in 2003 but only released a … Read more
ABC Classics 476 5168 The composing of string quartets always seems to suggest a maturity for a composer. In the last decade or so, a greater focus has been dedicated to writing in this genre by some of Australia’s finest. Notwithstanding the already large output by Peter Sculthorpe, other composers are currently making significant contributions, … Read more
MR301139 Australian chamber music is healthy when you come across a disc with contents such as these new piano trios (all written in the last decade or so). Each composer included here has his own distinctive voice in this genre, and has made significant contributions that should endure in history. Written for the Melbourne International … Read more
After 10 years at the helm of the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs, Artistic Director Brett Weymark is looking forward to another full year of exciting and challenging choral music for Sydney audiences. With fifteen concerts scheduled for 2013, the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs will take audiences on a mammoth journey of musical styles, ranging from the late … Read more
Lian Husi Klamar: The Traditional Music of East Timor Ros Dunlop Published by Tekee Media, 2012 $59.95 The first book to emerge concerning the music of the newest nation in the world, East Timor, is a rich resource, bursting at the seams with glorious photographs, paintings, songs and diagrams. Collated and written by classically-trained clarinetist, … Read more
ABC 476 5162 Anthologies of famous cello music abound, but this latest 2CD release from ABC Classics deserves to be heard. It is a compilation of recordings made mostly by Australians, including Janis Laurs, Li-Wei Qin, Sally Maer, Louise King, Michael Goldschlager, Julian Thompson, Suzanne Wijsman, Noeleen Wright, Daniel Yeardon, Anthea Cottee, Fenella Gill and … Read more
ABC 476 4955 As the times of the 15th and 16th centuries had been an era of great discovery, like so the emergence of music drawn from this period, is a real discovery as well. Interest in early music performance practice has been passionately embraced throughout the world, with Australia firmly placed at the forefront … Read more