Music
Magdalena Kožená: Monteverdi
There are two types of mezzo soprano voices: foggy, broad and thick; or dark, silvery, and fine. Magdalena Kožená possesses the latter. For this reason, her voice – proven versatile over many recordings – is a good fit for the…
Ravel: Complete Works For Solo Piano
When I listen to the music of Ravel I feel like I’m seated at the foot of Le Lion de Belfort in Montparnasse, at dusk, watching the world pass by. Perhaps it’s the impressionistic nature of his music that stirs…
The Hope Six Demolition Project by PJ Harvey
PJ Harvey’s ninth studio album, The Hope Six Demolition Project, grew directly out of the artistic relationship established between Harvey and photographer/filmmaker Seamus Murphy during the recording of her previous album, Let England Shake (2011). This collaboration has also…
Lalo, Bruch, Saraste by Renaud Capuçon
During the early stages of composition Max Bruch wrote to his teacher, ‘I do not feel sure of my feet on this terrain. Do you think that it is very audacious to write a violin concerto?’ Audacious or otherwise, Bruch’s…
The Kiss by Nicole Car
I first heard soprano Nicole Car ten years ago at a master class in Melbourne. Her voice was beautiful. The conductor turned to the audience and said, ‘Melbourne sure knows how to produce a good singer!’ And he was right…
Beethoven Piano Trios by Seraphim Trio
With a flourish the new Seraphim Trio recording transports you back in time to when there was unmatched elegance and an outpouring of such beautiful music that you still hear it performed today. Formed two decades ago, the Seraphim Trio…
Dig In Deep by Bonnie Raitt
What Bonnie Raitt has created on her 20th studio album is a mastering of all of her talents as musician, singer, songwriter, producer, band leader and interpreter of great songs. Her choice of songs – five written by Raitt herself…
Les Éléments: Tempêtes, Orages et Fêtes Marines by Jordi Savall and Le Concert des Nations
Christmas Day. It’s thirty-five degrees, I’m stuck on the freeway, and my air-conditioning has packed it in. A hot wind pummels the side of my car. I’m desperate to get home. I turn up the volume on my stereo system…
Giovincello by Edgar Moreau
Twenty-one year old cellist Edgar Moreau is ‘keen to break down … stylistic barriers’. Whatever he does, it’s certainly impressive, and I can’t help but compare him to the young Jacqueline du Pré who recorded a similar repertoire at the…
Mozart: The Weber Sisters by Sabine Devieilhe
Mozart’s concert aria Vorrei Spiegarvi, oh Dio, composed for the soprano Aloysia Weber, is one of the most challenging and beautiful in the repertoire. The singer calls out to God, telling him of her suffering and professing her unrequited…
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