A good nose job is hard to find: Kosky’s The Nose premieres in Australia

The Australian premiere of Barrie Kosky’s new production of the rarely performed Shostakovich classic The Nose has become the most highly anticipated production of Opera Australia’s Sydney Summer Season following its critically acclaimed debut in London in 2017. Read more

An Israeli Carmen

After a sell-out season in 2016, John Bell’s vibrant production of Bizet’s Carmen, featuring gypsy girls and bull-fighting boys in eye-popping colours, returns to the Sydney Opera House next month. Read more

The Shape of Water – a movie review by Roz Tarszisz

The story of an amphibious man-like creature is not new. While film making has come a long way since Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954) there is still a strong sense of deja vu in this latest offering from Guillermo Del Toro who wrote the story, directed and co-wrote the script.

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Swinging Safari – a movie review by Roz Tarszisz

Blasts from the past can be fun.  This latest offering from writer/director Stephan Elliott with lava lamps, high waisted bellbottoms, parents behaving badly and a bunch of feral children looked to be just the ticket for the summer holiday season.

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The Post – a movie review by Glen Falkenstein

You could easily think this Pentagon Papers retrospective is a lock for Best Picture. It isn’t. Read more

Breathe – a movie review by Roz Tarszisz

True stories about people living with great physical difficulties are generally uplifting and this directorial debut from actor Andy Serkis (War for the Planet of the Apes) is no exception.

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Ferdinand – a movie review by Roz Tarszisz

If you are looking for some respite from the heat during the l-o-n-g school and kindy holidays, then by all means, take your little ones to this latest animated outing. Just don’t expect anything new.

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Lucky: a movie review by Glen Falkenstein

The last film yet released starring the late, prolific Harry Dean Stanton, this is one for the fans, and fans alone. Read more

A big night with the three Bees…a music review by Fraser Beath McEwing

I have a feeling that the SSO wanted its APT Master Series to finish the year on a high when it nudged its budget with a big orchestra, solo singers, a male chorus (on loan from the Australian Opera) and powered up the organ. Read more

Winners of Chamber Music to perform at The Great

After sell out performances at East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation, Affinity Collective celebrates Jewish and Czech music at Sydney’s The Great Synagogue. Read more

Voices adds Sydney to its thrilled list

The Voices spectacular thrilled two sell-out audiences in Sydney last week, following two equally successful earlier performances in Perth and Melbourne. All were greeted by standing ovations by an enthusiastic, cheering audience… Read more

Goodbye Christopher Robin – a movie review by Roz Tarszisz

To those brought up in the English-speaking world, there was no question that Winnie-the-Pooh was English, but I know two who were shocked to discover on arrival in Australia that he was not actually Hungarian.

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Gavrylyuk stunned his audience – literally: a music review by Fraser Beath McEwing

I’ve never been to a piano recital quite like this one. Ukrainian pianist, Alexander Gavrylyuk, took his audience on such an emotionally demanding journey that, in the end, they felt as exhausted listening as he probably did playing and demanded only one encore before escaping into the balmy Sydney night. Read more

A night for Shostakovich fans – a music review by Fraser Beath McEwing

A whole program of Shostakovich was something of a gamble for the SSO concert last night, because not everybody likes his music. Luckily, I’m one who does, although my love blossomed only after many hearings. Read more

Loving Vincent – a movie review by Roz Tarszisz

Loving Vincent is a cinematic ode to the paintings of Vincent van Gogh and cannot be compared to anything else.

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Two big fish and one tiddler: a music review by Fraser Beath McEwing

The SSO concert in the APT Master Series presented two major works: the Sibelius Violin Concerto in D minor, Op 47 and Mahler’s Symphony No.1 in D major. Read more

Three Summers – a movie review by Roz Tarszisz

Writer and director Ben Elton said recently that despite living in Australia for 30 years he is still regarded as a Pom.  While he’s not exactly a new chum, he does bring his British sense of irony and an ability to pinpoint the ridiculous in this very Australian film.

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Suburbicon: a movie review by Glen Falkenstein

Suburbicon wants you to think it’s another Coen Brothers classic. Written by the redoubtable pair, Grant Heslov, George Clooney and directed by the latter, it may look and feel like their golden era but lands far off the mark. Read more

Madama Butterfly: an opera review by Victor Grynberg

Last July Victoria’s Minister for Creative Arts, (in)famously accused Opera Australia of being happy to have an audience that will “die in their seats”. Read more

Four out of six were made in Australia…a music review by Fraser Beath McEwing

The SSO’s Emirates Metro Series chose the theme of fire for its Opera House concert last night. And fiery it was – mostly. Australian composer Brett Dean conducted his own Fire Music while Australian pianist, Piers Lane, had to fire up to get into the ring with Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No.3 in D minor leaving Sibelius to represent Finland with six minutes of Scene with Cranes Op 44 No2. Read more

The Only Living Boy in New York – a movie review by Roz Tarszisz

Young man falls in love with older woman, something bound to end in tears especially as the beautiful woman is his father’s mistress.  Read more

Final Portrait – a movie review by Roz Tarszisz

When American writer and art-lover James Lord (Armie Hammer) is asked by his friend, the world-famous artist Alberto Giacometti (Geoffrey Rush), to sit for a portrait, he accepts.

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NSTE to stage a world premiere

A new show inspired by a true story of a singing teacher whose life is transformed by an unusual pupil will have its world premiere at Sydney’s North Shore Temple Emanuel next month. Read more

Battle of the Sexes: a movie review by Glen Falkenstein

Sports movies are generally more about sports than not – but this is not a sports movie. Read more

The Dancer – a movie review by Roz Tarszisz

When her father is killed, farm girl Loie Fuller (Soko) makes her way to New York where her mother Lili (Amanda Plummer) is living a nun-like existence with female prohibitionists.

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The Lego Ninjago Movie – a movie review by Roz Tarszisz

I was accompanied by two young fans who were excited by the prospect of the latest outing in the Lego movie franchise. Well, that and a train ride into the city.

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Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie – a movie review by Roz Tarszisz

I thought an animated film for children was supposed to have stuff aimed at grownups, some sly jokes at our level, at least enough to keep us from falling asleep.

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Two old friends and a stranger…a music review by Fraser Beath McEwing

The SSO concert last night just kept getting better as it went from Mendelssohn to Mackey to Dvorak. Read more

Maudie – a movie review by Roz Tarszisz

In this engrossing story of triumph over physical adversity, you have to wait for beauty to emerge.   Read more

Imogen Cooper gave a scholarly performance

Although the tiger never got out of the cage, English pianist Imogen Cooper gave an impeccable account of Beethoven, Haydn and Ades at Sydney’s Recital Hall…writes Fraser Beath McEwing. Read more

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