Brandenburg Celebrates

Australian Brandenburg Orchestra Brandenburg Choir Artistic Director: Paul Dyer ABC 481 1929 You can’t go past some of the great works of the Baroque if you want to celebrate joy, passion, triumph and elegance, all traits of the astounding Australian Brandenburg Orchestra. After 25 years of continued success and audience favour, the ABO has carved … Read more

Barry Walmsley

Murwillumbah’s music man

CONDUCTING, adjudicating, playing, writing and composing…Barry Walmsley has almost done it all in the world of music.

So as adjudicator at the Murwillumbah Festival of Performing Arts, currently underway at the local civic centre, he is the ideal man to be giving advice to young musicians.

Elements: Simon Gleeson

SG24601 This debut album from musical theatre star, Simon Gleeson, will not leave anyone disappointed. Currently starring as Jean Valjean in the acclaimed new production of Cameron Mackintosh’s Les Miserables, Gleeson shows that he is a world-class singer and actor. On this recording, he has assembled songs that are a personal testament, reflecting elements of … Read more

I Was Flying: Music by Sally Whitwell

ABC 481 1704 The piano music of Sally Whitwell will become even more accessible from this original recording. Many already know of this Sydney pianist from her recordings, particularly the music of Phillip Glass, as well as her performances with numerous ensembles and soloists. This disc, however, thrusts the individual personality of Ms Whitwell centre … Read more

Fine Music to Air New HSC Program

(This article first appeared in the January 2016 edition of Fine Music magazine.) In a new initiative by Fine Music, students, teachers and listeners will have the opportunity to hear and learn about the latest in Australian music. With Jason Noble at the helm, listeners will discover concepts have their aural diet expanded, as new … Read more

Simon Tedeschi: The Gershwin Collection

ABC 481 1872 Now that Simon Tedeschi has released two recordings separately for ABC Classics (Gershwin & Me; Gershwin – Take Two), this box set (both CDs) has been released. Tedeschi, who clearly has a great affinity with the music of George Gershwin, describes the style as a combination of “Russian melancholy, Cuban rhythms, African … Read more

Cello Dreams

ABC 481 1629 The great American cellist once said, “The cello is the most perfect instrument aside from the human voice”. That perhaps explains why arias and other songs lend themselves to cello transcription so well, such as Handel’s arias Lascia ch’io piana (from Rinaldo), Par che mi nasca in seno (from Tamerlano) and Sondheim’s … Read more

The Celtic Songbook

ABC Classics 481 1981 Music of the Celts has always had a huge following, and this disc of 18 songs will find a large audience. Timeless melodies from Ireland, Scotland and Wales are performed by some of the leading musicians in Australia currently. Singers David Hobson, Teddy Tahu Rhodes, Sarah Calderwood, Annalisa Kerrigan, Paul McMahon, … Read more

From Broadway to La Scala

Greta Bradman, David Hobson, Lisa McCune, Teddy Tahu Rhodes ABC 482 3700 Audiences applaud such compilations when four well-known (“popular”) singers are brought together, and a national tour is mounted, making the release of a disc of arias, duets and ensembles, an assured top-seller. Musical theatre selections are from The Sound of Music, The Phantom … Read more