Barry

This anthology of great melodies (of songs both sacred and secular) that have stood the test of time would please most people with its ability to raise the spirits of the listener. The ABC has dug deep into its archive and that of a number of other recording companies to produce this disc which features … Read more

Handel’s instrumental writing shows no less ability than his writing for the voice. And whilst he was extremely popular, not only with the public, but also the King for his operatic output, two large scale orchestral works stand out. Written at either end of his career, the Royal Fireworks Suite and the Water Music Suites … Read more

To mark the 10th anniversary of completing his ARIA award-winning CD set of Beethoven piano sonatas, Gerard Willems has now recorded the Diabelli Variations, one of the most important pieces in the piano repertory. Willems is the first artist to ever record this extraordinary hour-long work in Australia. This landmark disc marks the finale of … Read more

A new CD is an important addition to the oeuvre of Australian music and highlights the work of a very under-rated composer from Wollongong, John Wayne Dixon. The composer states “all the works on this CD have been written since the turn of the millennium, a significant fact in that I had a ten-year fallow … Read more

Finally, a book has culminated as a synthesis of his work and that of 12 others, all of whom arel working in similar spheres. The co-contributors represent some of the finest music educators working with boys, such as Clare Hall, Anne Lierse, Paul Holley and Robert Smith. It is one of the most important additions … Read more

He was our greatest cricketer, known by all Australians, but few realised that Sir Donald Bradman (1908-2001) was also a keen musician. In a world first, ABC Classics have joined forces with the Bradman family to release a 2 CD set of tracks drawn largely from the great icon’s private collection and sheet music. In … Read more

Reluctance would have to be my emotion on picking up this new CD from ABC Classics. However, from the first track with its very beautiful unison singing of By the Waters of Babylon, I was captivated. Not a great one for the reality television formula, Jailbirds is the end product of an ABC TV series … Read more

Melba (1861-1931) was Australia’s first international superstar of opera, her voice and charisma captivating audiences, royalty and the finest composers of the age. She had studied scores personally with Saint-Saens, Gounod, Massenet, Delibes, Verdi and Puccini. Although earlier recordings (1890’s) had been made previous to this set of 1904, Melba hated the result and had … Read more