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A History of Books by Gerald Murnane
On the eighth page of Barley Patch – a work of fiction by Gerald Murnane, published in 2009, the first such work to appear since Murnane decided that he was finished writing novels over a decade earlier, and for that…
British Flute Concertos
Emily Beynon is stunning flautist who is Principal Flute of the Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam. Originally from Wales, she returns to England to perform work with the BBC Symphony Orchestra. It’s a beautiful set of works celebrating the compositions and…
Massenet: Werther
The opera Werther is a tale of love, loss and family. Opera superstar Rolando Villazon takes the role of Werther in this new recording from Deutsche Grammophon. With Antonio Pappano conducting the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House it’s a…
Eleven Seasons by Paul D. Carter
[[carter-paul]]Paul Carter’s Eleven Seasons is a great read, and certainly seems like a deserving winner of the Australian/Vogel’s literary award (for best unpublished manuscript by an author under 35). Importantly, for a book almost entirely concerned with sport and…
Home by Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison’s tenth novel, Home, is a quiet revelation of masculinity and patriotism. In the opening image, Korean War veteran Frank observes the stance of horses as he hides with his sister Cee. ‘They rose up like men. We…
Strauss: Die Frau Ohne Schatten
This is a really odd, although very interesting, production of Strauss’s ‘last romantic opera’ (his words). It is a reconstruction, almost like a documentary style presentation (without the cuts or narrator), of a recording of the opera that was done…
Beethoven String Quartets 9 & 10, Amadeus
It is wonderful that Decca and Eloquence together keep great musical genius alive and available for a new generation of listeners. The renowned Amadeus String Quartet disbanded in 1987 when their violist, Peter Schidlof passed away, but their final recordings…
Liszt: Tone Poems and Orchestral Works
Often forgotten amongst stories of the mania surrounding his piano playing, Franz Liszt’s orchestral works are some of the greatest ever written. Credited with creating the symphonic poem genre, this 2 CD set from Eloquence is a fantastic introduction to…
Elgar Orchestral Works, Eduard van Beinum
This release, originally recorded in 1949-51, is an unusual look at the music of Sir Edward Elgar. Although the orchestra is the London Philharmonic, the cellist Anthony Pini firmly raised in the English musical tradition, the man at the helm…
Beethoven String Quartets 13 & 15, Fitzwilliam Quartet
The Fitzwilliam String Quartet is one of those rare beasts in classical music these days, a chamber group that is still going as strong today as when it was first founded. In the 1980s they were commissioned by Decca to…
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