Our latest reviews
Angles by The Strokes
It’s been five years betweenalbums for New York outfitThe Strokes. Their longawaitedfourth LP – andthe first to be writtencollaboratively as a band,rather than just Casablancas – Angles is themost eclectic of the band’s albums to date.
As the album title…
The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddharta Mukherjee
There are some books that quietly demand one’s attention. I read an article on The Emperor of Maladies late last year in The New Yorker, which focused on a case study of a 30-year old woman, the mother of…
The Panic Virus: Fear, Myth and the Vaccination Debate by Seth Mnookin
Do you realise that in Australia, the number of parents who filed a form with Medicare indicating a ‘personal, philosophical, religious or medical belief that immunisation should not occur’ has risen by 68 percent in the past five years? Do…
Public Enemies: Duelling Writers Take On Each Other And The World by Levy & Houellebecq
Formidable French writers and ‘public enemies’ Michel Houllebecq and Henri-Bernard Levy unite in this intellectually dynamic and yet intimate collection of letters. These are the men who penned bestselling titles Átomised *and *Barbarism with a Human Face respectively. Expansive minds…
India, A Portrait by Patrick French
India: A Portrait, by English writer Patrick French, is an historical account of the world’s largest democracy and is divided into three parts: Rashtra (Nation), Lakshi (Wealth) and Samaj (Society).
In Rashtra, French recounts political events beginning with Independence…
Edwards: Heart of Night
Ross Edwards is amongAustralia’s most lovedcontemporary composers.His belief that music shouldnot be so esoteric, butshould seduce its audience,is evident in his music, which often has adreamy, meditative quality. On this disc,Diana Doherty’s wonderful recording ofEdwards’ oboe concerto, released a few…
Rachmaninov: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini/Piano Concerto No. 2, Yuja Wang
With this new recording,Yuja Wang continues toclimb the heights of theclassical world. Theseperformances again showwhat a wonderful pianistshe is developing into – and Rachmaninov,for any pianist, is always a great test of theirmusical abilities. Wang and Abbado movegracefully through each…
Ravel: The Complete Piano Music, Steven Osborne
Ravel is traditionallyknown for his stunninguse of orchestral colour– but in this new 2 CD setfrom Steven Osborne, heshows that he is also amaster of colour on a piano. Featuring hiscomplete solo piano works, there are theeternal favourites, Pavane pour…
Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue/Piano Concerto, Bollani & Chailly
You either love him or hatehim, and before we gofurther, I will admit toadoring Gershwin’s music.With the new recordingfrom Decca, it will givethose who dislike his music even more totalk about. Stefano Bollani has been called a‘jazz star’, while Riccardo…
Sound the Bells! Bay Brass
Most people shudder when they see a brassCD in front of them – but in the case of thisrecording, it would be worthwhile taking thetime to listen to this disc. The Bay Brass hasput together an excellent program of brassmusic…
Browse our reviews by category
