The name Lachlan Skipworth may be as unfamiliar to you as it was to me but it won’t remain so for long. Hailing from Western Australia, where he studied the clarinet, he has immersed himself in advanced musical study and…
Review: Australian Miniseries an oasis in the desert of Covid
Australian Miniseries The Canberra Symphony Orchestra has had the bright idea of publishing a series of 15 vignettes featuring short works for solo instruments, specially composed by different contemporary Australian artists. The “Australian Miniseries” is co-curated by Professor Matthew Hindson…
Selby & Friends telling tales
On first hearing Mozart’s Piano Trio No.5 in C major, K.548 one would be surprised at its date of composition -1788- the same year as his majestic final three symphonies. He would play the late trio at the homes of…
Willoughby Symphony Choir and friends’ massive undertaking of “Ode to Joy” was an impressive success!
It is really refreshing to attend an event featuring an amateur orchestra and choir performing with proceeds going to Indigenous education, and doubly so when the work chosen is none less than Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, a massive undertaking even for full…
Sophie Rowell & Kristian Chong’s immaculate Sydney Mozart Society performance was thoroughly enjoyable
A packed hall at Chatswood Concourse welcomed violinist Sophie Rowell and pianist Kristian Chong, who are no strangers to the Sydney Mozart Society. Sophie won the ABC Young Performers Award in 2000 which gave her the opportunity to play as…
The brilliance of the Sydney Soloists sextet was on full display in their program for the Sydney Mozart Society
Every programme given by the Sydney Mozart Society is carefully thought out in collaboration with the artists. Whether intentional or not, Friday night’s concert was notable for featuring music which to most listeners was to some extent unfamiliar. The performing…
Willoughby Symphony’s “Enigma” a night to remember
There can scarcely be a piece of music about which more has been written and postulated than Elgar’s Enigma Variations, which gave the title to Sunday afternoon’s concert by the Willoughby Symphony Orchestra. Like so many famous works, it came…
Selby & Friends provided a vivid evening of Beethoven for the Sydney Mozart Society
The latest Sydney Mozart Society concert was cleverly timed to coincide with the opening of Vivid Chatswood but, fortunately, although the visual aspect was welcoming, we were insulated from the sound effects. On this occasion, Kathryn Selby continued her well-established…
Goldner String Quartet’s mastery was on full display throughout Sydney Mozart Society’s imaginative programme
Why is it that the sound of the Goldner String Quartet is so distinctive? Certainly there is their perfect timing and intonation but there is more than that. I feel sure that I could pick their playing from ten recordings…
Sydney Youth Orchestra’s performance gave enjoyment in spades
Sydney Youth Orchestras comprises no less than fourteen orchestras embracing ages from 6 to 25 years, with students progressing with experience and being directed to areas to suit their individual talents. They have provided this essential function in New South…
Ku-ring-Gai Philharmonic Orchestra’s intriguing and innovative programme works a treat!
What a transformation there has been in the Ku-ring-Gai Philharmonic Orchestra. Gone are the creaky strings and hesitant woodwind entries resulting in an efficient and accurate unit. Perhaps its new principal home in the expanse of Chatswood Concourse has helped…
The Australia Piano Quartet presented a stimulating concert of contrasts for the Sydney Mozart Society
It’s hardly necessary to say that the Sydney Mozart Society, now in its sixty-ninth year, produced another recital of the highest quality. The Australia Piano Quartet is now in its eighth year as Resident Ensemble at Sydney’s University of Technology where…
Richard Gill would have been proud of SYO’s Celebrating Strauss
Richard Gill was an immensely popular conductor and musical educator and the Sydney Youth Orchestra dedicated the last concert in this year’s cycle to him. The concert had another dedicatee, namely Richard Strauss who is generally agreed to be an…
Outlaw Opera was adept acting and singing, carried off in spades, and to a great reception
Christina Henson is nothing if not versatile, having trained in both opera and medicine, and she produced a show to wake up sleepy Avoca on a Friday night. Avoca Beach Theatre is a beautifully situated Boutique Picture House and plans…
Sydney Mozart Society | The Streeton Trio was faultless and reflected the intense moods of the music
How exciting it must have been to be a music lover in Vienna in the early nineteenth century. If you had grown tired of Hummel and even the innovative but ageing Haydn, and were lamenting the premature death of the…
Willoughby Symphony Orchestra’s Discovery was an exhilarating evening
I have a problem. I’ve heard the Willoughby Symphony Orchestra play now on five occasions and keep waiting for a wrong note, an error in tempo, or creakiness in the strings but they just don’t occur. Is there a better…
Sarah Grunstein performs Fantastic Fantasies
It would be difficult to imagine a more suitable backdrop for a piano recital than the Utzon room at the Sydney Opera House with a gradual change from a James Jackson painting to a vivid night sky and sea transport…
Willoughby Symphony Orchestra with David Fung was full of passion
When is an encore not an encore? When it starts the programme, as Nicholas Milton explained after the orchestra had began unexpectedly with the “Trepak” from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker suite. No one would be in the mood for an encore after…