Australian composer Alfred Hill clearly liked to borrow music from himself, as his Piano Concerto in A features here on this Hyperion release alongside its source material – his Piano Sonata in A. Johannes Fritzsch leads Piers Lane and the Adelaide Symphony through this glowing, romantic score.   The concerto is being recorded 75 years after its Australian premiere. Lane’s performance is touching; patient with his melody, he seems to treasure each note with understanding and tenderness. The third movement Nocturne – (Homage to Chopin) – is filled with yearning, swells in the strings given added presence by gentle timpani. The album is well mixed, enabling us to hear and feel the communication between each part. Its finale is tasteful and radiant. Between the two Hill works sits George Boyle’s Piano Concerto in D Minor – perhaps the earliest work composed in this form in Australia. Coincidentally, its premiere was conducted by Hill in 1913. The work is theatrical and classy, taking us back to an era long past. After its hearty conclusion, Hill’s Piano Sonata then brings things down a notch. With all other instruments gone, it seems… Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe…

A turquoise background offsets seven pin-up girls juxtaposed into the letters P-O-P C-O-R-N. The playful album matches The 7 Sopranos’ spirit in this compilation of songs from stage and screen. A luscious bloom of strings and brass introduces the disc, quickly heralding us into an overture before the words “I got rhythm” ring out in all-female voices. They aren’t always perfectly in tune, and the balance of the ensemble could be better approached, however, when listening to such classics as these, perhaps the addition of some ‘human’ qualities helps you to believe in the dream of romance. Dubin and Warren’s Keep Young and Beautiful is crisp and maybe a little deliberately pompous. In Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend, soloist Clarissa Spata comes to the fore in a rich and glamorous rendition. It’s a fairly simple ride, but the 16 tracks are well spaced with swooning, slower tunes interspersed with upbeat toe-tappers. Other highlights include I Enjoy Being a Girl by Rodgers and Hammerstein and Howard’s Fly Me to the Moon, modestly featuring soloist Deborah Rogers. The 7 Sopranos pays homage to this golden era with grace and authenticity. As they state in their sleeve notes: “We believe in making…

When Time Stops is choreographer Natalie Weir’s exploration of the final moments of a woman’s life. Iain Grandage revisits his score in this explosive recording from the Camerata of St John’s. The composer tells us the piece is “not only about death. It is also intrinsically about life and the moments within it where one’s normal sense of the moment is stretched”. Immediately obvious is the strength of the music without visual support from the accompanying dance narrative. Rowing 1 begins with blood-curdling strings before Katherine Philp halts us with a cello melody. The second track, Street 1, is a violent commotion of textured strings. The relationship between tracks means the album should be approached in one sitting. Higher tones and heightened emotional intensity inform Rowing 2, and First Kiss brings a euphoric wave of strings. Also of note is Orb, with Chloe Ann Williamson’s double bass pulsing under impassioned and fiery melodies from violist Elizabeth Lawrence. The resolution leaves us hanging on for more. Violinist Brendan Joyce stands out in the grating and trance-like repetition of Scan, while Into the Wall is thick and rhythmic. Impeccable intonation is heard in all movements, though particularly noticeable in… Continue reading Get…

Sergeant David Griffin was just 27-years old when he wrote The Happiness Box in wartime Singapore. The year was 1942, and the POW wished to create a story for Changi Jail’s child prisoners. Griffin’s fellow inmate Leslie Greener crafted illustrations (which form the cover of this release). Before the final product could be confiscated by the Japanese, the book was buried in an ammunition container for safekeeping, arriving in Australia after the war. It was published in 1947 and now almost seven decades later has been set to music by composer Bryony Marks. Quite a story, right? But despite its heavy history, this is a work that will reach many a child’s heart. It opens with conductor Brett Kelly introducing the instruments and their roles in shaping the characters, and then the Melbourne Symphony begins to tell the story with narration from Stephen Curry. It’s charming and frolicking, and rings with the memories of an Australian countryside Griffin may have yearned for during his captivity and creation of the book.  The work is fast-paced and inspires us to visualise Griffin’s story (without ever lingering for too long on any musical idea). Even for an adult listener, it’s a lot of…

A dizzying exploration into love and longing with world-class voices.

Excellence. If you want to hear some, listen to the first track of Gondwana Chorale’s debut album Soar. The opener, Dan Walker’s Concierto del Sur, offers us a breath of life as this exquisitely produced recording brings together more than 50 of the brightest young singers in modern Australia. The dynamic texture of Orlovich’s Butterflies Dance continues the journey of divine music and sound, while another highlight is Abbott’s Fool – a percussive and masterfully articulated song from Words of Wisdom, a collection of works drawing on newspaper quotes. Also of note is the strength in upper voices found in Lament to Saint Cecilia by Stanhope. Gondwana’s voices are worthy of a five-star review. But something about this album doesn’t sit right. The bold cover photography shows our blue sky and red land; inside, notes boast “new Australian works that capture the mystery and grandeur of our land” sung by children of dairy farmers and flying doctors. The inclusion here of sacred works from Guerrero, Monteverdi and Rachmaninov does not represent contemporary Australia, nor does it push to establish a national sound from a young generation of singers. And with their talent, they have the power to unite people in…

All spaced out at the orchestra when TSO and AYO play The Planets.

Czerny isn’t remembered in history with as much prestige as Mozart and Beethoven, but his works have just as much to say. While the weighty strings which open the Grand Nocturne Brilliant, Op. 95 sound reminiscent of Mozart’s Requiem, the work is quick to form its own identity. Remarkably balanced winds and strings give way to the main feature: Tuck. At once, she is romantic, aggressive and pronounced; her melodies don’t flow smoothly, but this sheds light on her precision and accuracy (and the clear recording). The title concerto is next, off to a modest start. The work and its interpretation are as predictable as we’ve grown to expect (largely thanks to Mozart, who Czerny was performing at nine years old). But Czerny’s concertos offer similar pleasures and complexities – without the ego. This honours the pianist’s virtuosity but pays respect to the form, which relies on other instrumentalists. Thankfully, this collection of musicians under Richard Bonynge is remarkable. Finally we come to the Variations de Concert de l’Opéra Le Siège de Corinthe, Op. 138. The disjointed opening takes a good 30 seconds to find its way into a building melody. A couple of minutes in, the horns interject with…

It’s nightfall when I hit play on the Streeton Trio’s latest release, which features two minor piano trios from Mendelssohn. His first in D Minor, Op. 49 is a fitting opener for the rainy Hobart evening. Though hinting at brighter spirits, the dominant feeling is intense. The Trio’s members are inspiringly considerate of each other through radical dynamic ranges, making room for each part with what seems exaggerated courtesy. The following Andante con Molto Tranquillo offers a necessary respite; though gentle, it doesn’t fully release us from the tension. The Scherzo: Leggiero e vivace is highly repetitive in rhythm, but exploding with expression. Even through speedier passages, the ensemble boasts a unified voice – at once revealing conviction and grace. An arrangement of Gondellied, WoO 10 from the trio’s pianist Benjamin Kopp comes next. It’s excessively romantic, depicting the canals of Venice as Mendelssohn may have remembered them. Its expansion from 2/4 to 12/8 may be the cause of such dreaminess – an adventurous decision from Kopp. His arrangement of Spring Song, Op. 62/6 is comically quaint, while the Song Without Words in E Flat, Op. 30/1 uses lyrical lines to showcase cellist Umberto Clerici and violinist Emma Jardine’s skills….

The soprano explains why she wants us to consider a powerfully nurturing and creative force. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

Through a Glass is the world premiere recording of a series of songs by Martin Bussey, a choral scholar at King’s College, Cambridge. The opening work Blue Remembered Hills introduces baritone Marcus Farnsworth and pianist James Baillieu with immediacy, delving into an obscurity marked by dissonances and startling dynamics.  Through a Glass, Darkly was crafted with text from different authors. The composer’s notes tell us the work refers to the relationship between reality and dreams and is “the most ambitious musically and thematically”. The fourth song The Secret Sits breaks the flow with a trumpet that simply sticks out. The closing song in the cycle Lay Your Sleeping Head crafts brief whirlwinds of angst before resolving into the most conventional sounding progression of chords we’ve heard yet – a happy ending to an eccentric piece. Farnsworth is superb – not only for the clarity in his timbre but for allowing us to identify every word. Though he leans into every note almost theatrically, Through a Glass, Darkly shows unexpected changes in character. By contrast, The Windhover is part-challenge, part-conversation between Farnsworth and solo violin, while Garden Songs features texts written across the centuries about flowers and trees. The final song…

Power couple Benedetti and Elschenbroich unite in a show-stopping performance.