Music posts
Classical music recommendations & our fabulous box-set sale
‘Recently, while perusing the shelves at Readings, I was thrilled to discover young British soprano Louise Alder’s debut Strauss recording. My excitement was twofold: I recognised her as an acquaintance from my year studying at the Royal College in London and could not wait to hear her beautiful voice once again; and…
This month’s recommendations for classical music fans
‘I love discovering new (but old and forgotten) composers and their long-neglected compositions. Everyone knows Rachmaninoff, his famous piano concertos (the second of which is on this album) and symphonic works. However, one of his closest friends, N…
Vale Dr G Yunupingu
Indigenous musician Dr G Yunupingu has died in Royal Darwin Hospital at age 46, following a long battle with illness. The late artist’s stirring, soulful music has made an impact on so many of us within the Readings community, and we are deeply saddened by his passing.
Blind from birth, the Yolngu man from the Gumatj clan grew up in the remote community of Galiwin'ku on Elcho Island. He received…
This month’s recommendations for classical music fans
‘Cellist Umberto Clerici wondered how eighteenth-century audiences listened to J.S. Bach’s cello suites, and what they heard and recognised in the music. Although Bach’s solo cello suites are variations of dance forms, he did not write them for dancing. Audiences perhaps experienced an emotional connection to the ‘stylisations’ of each dance, an…
Join us for two free bookshop gigs at Readings St Kilda
Stop by our St Kilda shop this month to enjoy two FREE in-store performances from some of our favourite musicians.
On Saturday 8 July, local talent Dave Graney and Clare Moore will be joined by Stu Thomas to play songs from their new album, Let’s Get Tight.
Let’s Get Tight was recorded and mixed at Graney and Moore’s studio in the hills of Melbourne, the Ponderosa. Graney sings, plays elect…
This month’s recommendations for classical music fans
‘At first glance, you might think Purcell and Britten have nothing in common bar their English origin. However, when you dig deeper you find that Britten was somewhat of a fanboy of Purcell and frequently looked to his predecessor (by over 200 years) for inspiration. With this in …
Vinyl picks of the month
Here is the soundtrack to the truly fab 2015 documentary of the same name. In the tradition of Standing in the Shadows of Motown’s tribute to the Funk Brothers, The Wrecking Crew focused on the eponymous collective of West Coast session musicians who played on a bewildering…
Staff music picks, free events & pre-order new Radiohead
Radiohead’s landmark album, OK Computer, is set to be rereleased in a special 20th anniversary pack on Friday 23 June, and our music and DVD manager Dave Clarke is extremely excited.
He writes: ‘The year is 1997. I have just turned 29, I am obsessed with something called Saturn Return’s, and with an album by English alternative rock group Radiohead. That album is O…
Three classical albums we’re loving in May
Songs Without Words by the Grigoryan Brothers
If you say the words ‘Grigoryan brothers’ to most classical music fans, they’ll smile and nod knowingly. Renowned for their musicianship since they were teenagers, they’ve released five albums together: pretty much all of them have been nominated for awards. They’re played all the time on ABC Classic FM, and in people’s homes around the world. Slava…
Three classical albums we’re loving this month
For many people, the name Yo-Yo Ma immediately brings to mind the Bach Cello Suites and Ma’s bestselling album; the album that has defined many a young cellist’s ideas about the performance of the works. However, many discerning listeners also think ‘innovation’ when they hear or see his name, given the many differen…
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