Our latest reviews
The Children of the King by Sonya Hartnett
Storytelling is often like Matryoshka dolls, layers of story, tales within tales and Hartnett uses, seamlessly, this device in her latest novel for middle readers. Beautifully written and hauntingly evocative, the story is set on the eve of the bombing…
Betrothal in a Monastery, Prokofiev
Before I start this review in earnest, I would like to say that I think Anna Netrebko is one of the most beautiful opera singers I’ve ever seen. I may have only seen her on screen, rather than live but…
Falstaff, Verdi
Verdi really was the King of opera composition. He wrote 37 operas, most of which are still performed frequently today. This production from 1979, although aged, is still as enjoyable as an updated or ‘modernized’ version. Solti conducts with deft…
Death of Klinghoffer, Adams
This is a very confronting story, without the operatic music by John Adams. It’s based on the true events of 1985 when the Palestine Liberation Front hijacked a passenger liner and ended up killing a Jewish-American man, Leon Klinghoffer. Lots…
Eugene Onegin, Tchaikovsky
This production, along with the Delius’ Village Romeo and Juliet are different than any of the others in our April 2012 sale, in that it’s a film version of the opera. This opens the scope of the film to new…
Candide, Bernstein
I find this opera very interesting. Along with Bernstein’s West Side Story it walks that fine line between musical theatre and opera. While West Side definitely has one foot firmly in musical theatre, Candide leans more towards opera. This concert…
Stiffelio, Verdi
Oh Domingo, how we love you! Not only one of the greatest opera soloists of the 20th Century, he is a consummate actor and operatic performer. He plays the torn priest, Stiffelio who loves his adulterous wife and finds he…
The Rake's Progress, Stravinsky
I loved the use of the odd props in this production. It creates a sense of the art of the time, off kilter and out of proportion. Opera in English is always a tricky proposition for those not used to…
Galileo Project, Talfelmusik Baroque Orchestra
There are a lot of good Baroque orchestras out there that are really making their mark in the world of recordings. The Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra’s new release features a CD and DVD of their Galileo Project, their contribution to the…
True North: The Story of Mary and Elizabeth Durack by Brenda Niall
Prize-winning biographer Brenda Niall continues her interest in Australian artists with this latest work about the Durack sisters. Her study of the Boyd family and, more recently, her account of the intriguing life of painter Judy Cassab, have received critical…
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