Ahead of his lunchtime recital, the inspirational musician reveals his own inspirations. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in
February 29, 2016
Classical performers are increasingly concerned with their looks… but isn’t it supposed to be about the music? Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in
February 29, 2016
“The pianist imagines an old artist, one Franz Liszt, troubled by that spiritual sickness known as nostalgia. At the piano, he strikes up a waltz – Valse oubliée No 1 – but perturbed by his melancholic mood, the waltz trails off…” Thus begins Olivia Sham’s fantastic journey into the creative soul of Liszt à la Berlioz’s semi-autobiographical text for the Symphonie fantastique. The Australian-born Sham is currently based in London and has a special interest in 19th-century pianos and their music. She recently completed her PhD on Liszt performance practice at the Royal Academy of Music. Quoting directly from Berlioz and Liszt, her programme note imaginatively links works, from across Liszt’s lengthy career, which she performs on two silvery-toned Érards (1840 and 1845) and a modern Steinway model D. In a nod to the compositional procedures of both Berlioz and Liszt, Sham uses Liszt’s four Valses oubliées, played on the Steinway, as an idée fixe of sorts, to interrupt the aged Liszt’s reveries which take him back variously to the prodigious youth, the virtuoso “at the height of his prowess”, the iconoclast and the champion of new music. The earlier works are performed on the Érards, and they are among…
February 29, 2016
We share some sharps and flats with the pianist ahead of his performances at Perth Festival. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in
February 25, 2016
The flautist was the only Australian winner at this year’s Grammy Awards, which took place in LA last week.
February 23, 2016
In our latest magazine, ten leading brains decide who and what changed the course of music history.
February 18, 2016
Scriabin’s wife Tatiana wrote in a 1907 letter that his Piano Sonata No 5 was “extraordinary”. The same can be said of Stephen Hough’s rendition in new release Scriabin & Janácˇek: Sonatas & Poems. Hough opens the album with this musical concoction of chaos and bliss, exhibiting power through his overtly expressive and dynamic performance, before progressing to Janácˇek’s cycle On the Overgrown Path. Though a comparatively delicate work, Hough’s presence isn’t diminished. His performance of A Blown-away Leaf (Book 1, No 2) is a sentimental caress, later offset by a startlingly intense The Frydek Madonna (Book 1, No 4). Scriabin soon returns with a jolt in his Deux Poèmes, Op. 32 – a musical contrast in fine taste which is felt throughout the release as the two composers’ works are interwoven. In fact the differences between Scriabin and Janácˇek grow fainter as the album progresses, with Hough’s musical approach and impeccable performance creating a sense of unity between them. Janácˇek’s Piano Sonata 1.X.1905 is a highlight and, well placed in the latter part of the album, it reveals Hough’s brooding dramaticism, preparing him for a final joyous release in the concluding Piano Sonata No 4 in F Sharp by Scriabin. Stephen Hough…
February 18, 2016
Ohlsson's intriguing programme explores music that mirrors art.
February 16, 2016
Shelton Murray will accompany the Australian Chamber Orchestra on their American tour this month.
February 15, 2016
A Valentine's Day tribute to the women and men who inspired the great composers.
February 14, 2016
Sydney’s leading contemporary performance venue seeks residents interested in presenting new Australian work.
February 12, 2016
The experimental music specialists will receive electric shocks while performing live on stage in Sydney.
February 10, 2016
