Robertson nails it!

If a superb orchestral performance and thunderous applause were what conductor David Robertson wanted, he would have left the Sydney Opera House a happy man last night, writes Fraser Beath McEwing. Read more

Fiddler on the podium

Supremo violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter hosted a sold-out Opera House audience for a feast of Mozart concertos…writes Fraser Beath McEwing. Read more

Something for almost everybody…an SSO concert review

Haydn, Brahms and Britten covered most musical tastes at the SSO Master Series concert last night, writes Fraser Beath McEwing. Read more

Mahler, Bruch, Ashkenazy and Zukerman serve up a rich cocktail

Two major works, two superb musicians and an orchestra playing at the top of its game made for an exciting and satisfying SSO concert, writes Fraser Beath McEwing. Read more

A Full House for Murray Perahia

Making his Australian debut at the Sydney Opera House, acclaimed American pianist, Murray Perahia, attracted a sold out audience that gave him a rousing Friday night reception, writes Fraser Beath McEwing. Read more

Two plus two for the price of one

The final International Pianists in Recital series held in Sydney’s Angel Place City Recital Hall presented a sold out house to dual pianists Katia and Marielle Labeque, writes Fraser Beath McEwing. Read more

Zubin said it all

At his fifth and final curtain call at the end of the Sydney Opera House concert by the Australian World Orchestra, celebrated conductor, Zubin Mehta, held up his hands for silence. Read more

Aussies Come Out to Play

Baz Luhrmann called it ‘one of the most exhilarating projects on our recent history of classical music’ and it is going to happen again in Sydney and Melbourne for three performances commencing 2nd October. Read more

Flattering Fliter

The third International Pianists in Recital concert for the year demonstrated Argentinian Ingrid Fliter’s mastery over Haydn, Schubert and Chopin, writes Fraser Beath McEwing. Read more

Fred and Ric go Head to head

The subtlety of Chopin and the roar of a Wagnerian super-orchestra offered vivid contrasts to a near capacity audience at the SSO Master Series concert last night, writes Fraser Beath McEwing. Read more

The Might of Ladies’ Night

Conductor Simone Young and soprano Lisa Gasteen played to a sparser-than-deserved SSO audience at last night’s Master Series concert, writes Fraser Beath McEwing. Read more

A Bissel Beethoven

The second International Pianists in Recital concert for the year was a night out for Beethoven-philes as Jonathan Biss stacked four sonatas on top of one another, writes Fraser Beath McEwing. Read more

The Whole Megillah

A well stocked orchestra plus two choirs and four vocal soloists hardly left room for conductor, David Robertson, to thread his way to the podium to launch Verdi’s Requiem…writes Fraser Beath McEwing. Read more

A Musical Jigsaw in Three Parts

Maybe it was my imagination that discovered some lateral thinking by the programmers for this stimulating Master Series concert…writes Fraser Beath McEwing. Read more

Exciting time at Angel Place

The International Pianists in Recital series held in the Angel Place City Recital Hall began on Monday night with an eclectic program by young Korean pianist, Joyce Yang, writes Fraser Beath McEwing. Read more

A night of percussive passion…writes Fraser Beath McEwing

For concertgoers who like an adrenalin hit, the second concert in the SSO Master Series filled the bill. Four romantic composers poured on syrup, explosions and tail wind flying that delighted many, but left the classicists harrumphing into their post-concert coffee. Unashamedly, I fell into the delighted class – without being totally convinced by all the offerings, however. Read more

Whatever you do, don’t miss Gavrylyuk

It’s going to be a great year for lovers of classical piano, with performances by Murray Perhia, Joyce Yang, Jonathan Bis, Ingrid Fliter, the beautiful Labeque sisters, Geoffrey Lancaster, Jean-Yves Thibaudet and Jean-Efflam Bavouzet. But if I were allowed to attend only one recital in 2013 if would be to hear Alexander Gavrylyuk, who is performing in Sydney and Melbourne in February…writes Fraser Beath McEwing. Read more

Russian Here and Russian There

Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky shared the billing to a capacity Sydney Opera House in the last of the Ausgrid Master Series for 2012, writes Fraser Beath McEwing. Read more

Dressing Sydney

Fraser Beath McEwing founded the Australian fashion industry newspaper Ragtrader in 1972. He sold it 20 years later but still writes a column for it. This is his impression of the recently opened “Dressing Sydney’ exhibition… Read more

McEwing reviews Lane

The third concert in the International Pianists in Recital series (Angel Place Recital Hall) presented a noteworthy, if unsettling program by ex-pat Australian pianist, Piers Lane…writes Fraser Beath McEwing. Read more

Passion, but not all Russian – an SSO review

While we’re suffering nervous breakdowns over our electricity bills, it is softened a little by the knowledge that power distributor, Ausgrid, is putting some of our money into sponsoring classical music, writes Fraser Beath McEwing. Read more

Piano and passion aplenty – an SSO review

Brahms, Dvorak and Rachmaninoff provided some of their most stirring music for the SSO to play last night as part of the Ausgrid Master Series, writes Fraser Beath McEwing. Read more

A mixture of familiar and challenging music

Stark English contrasts and Russian familiarity made for a rewarding program by the SSO last night as part of the Ausgrid Master Series…writes Fraser Beath McEwing. Read more

Top organ gets top organist

For those used to orchestral concerts, the Sydney Opera House was in unfamiliar mode for an organ recital by renowned US organist Cameron Carpenter at afternoon tea time last Saturday, writes Fraser Beath McEwing. Read more

Grandeur, drama and melancholy in big helpings

A favourite concerto and a seldom-heard symphony made for an exciting concert by the SSO as part of the Ausgrid Master Series last night writes Fraser Beath McEwing. Read more

Flinders Quartet in Concert

The Flinders Quartet cleverly used the theme of silent inspiration to present three diverse and challenging works in the Utzon Room at the Sydney Opera House, writes Fraser Beath McEwing. Read more

Nailing Beethoven

Pianist Andreas Haefliger tackled Beethoven’s toughest piano piece, and nailed some of it…writes Fraser Beath McEwing. Read more

On the big choral seesaw: Poulenc and Mozart. A J-Wire music review

Courageous programming of two contrasting choral masterpieces paid off with a virtual sell-out at the first of three concerts at the Sydney Opera House, writes Fraser Beath McEwing. Read more

Great Concert

Sydney’s Great Synagogue celebrated its 134th anniversary with a heritage orchestral concert last night in the presence of Governor Marie Bashir. Read more

Mutter shines on debut

Billed as a 2012 season special event, the Sydney Symphony invited Stradivarius wielding German violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter for a two-night season playing the Beethoven violin concerto, her Australian debut…writes Fraser Beath McEwing. Read more

« Previous Page — Next Page »