Gustav made a great double with Camille

A SSO review by Fraser Beath McEwing Read more

Take it away Ludwig!

A music review by Fraser McBeath McEwing Read more

The new, the unfamiliar and the old friend

A music review by Fraser Beath McEwing Read more

Wagnerian flavour of Tchaikovsky’s ballet music

Perhaps in acknowledgement of NAIDOC Week, the customary acknowledgement of country was replaced with the Rhythmic Acknowledgement, based on rhythmic patterns first documented in the early 1800s. Read more

Fraser Beath McEwing reports: What the Sydney Symphony Orchestra has in store for 2021

Tossing aside the pandemic and the problem faced by wind players blowing through face masks, the SSO has announced the programs for its 2021 season. Read more

A briefish Mahler fest: Music review by Fraser Beath McEwing

If you love Mahler, this was a concert for you. Read more

Music from beneath the Bolshevik boot: a music review by Fraser Beath McEwing

Last night’s Masters Series concert was not for faint-hearted orchestral players, conductors or an audience that wanted orderly, familiar music. Read more

Move over Franz, Lang Lang is in the building: a music review by Fraser Beath McEwing

You know it’s a Sydney Opera House gala celebrity event when the concerto is played last. Read more

Picturesque, to say the least: a music review by Fraser Beath McEwing

Last night’s Sydney Symphony Orchestra’s APT Master Series concert was all about creating dramatic sound pictures, some clearly subtitled, some borrowed form the Russian Orthodox Church and the rest a challenging kaleidoscope from a contemporary American female composer. Read more

Anne-Sophie Mutter with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra: a music review by Victor Grynberg

On her third visit in just six years, arguably the world’s leading violinist, Anne-Sophie Mutter clearly wanted to share her ability with a delighted Sydney audience. 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

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

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

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 Russian boys get together: a music review

The APT Master Series opened its SSO 2017 season at the Sydney Opera House with a cleverly conceived and superbly executed concert dominated by Russians…writes Fraser Beath McEwing. Read more

The Fink Group announces launch of Bennelong Arts Foundation

The Sydney-based Fink Group has announced the launch of the Bennelong Arts Foundation with its first scholarships being awarded to performers from the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. Read more

Ludwig van does it again

Another entire program of Beethoven under Vladimir Ashkenazy, with the addition of a solo violinist, again packed the Sydney Opera House for the second of the 2016 APT Master Series concerts, writes Fraser Beath McEwing. Read more

Two bouncing Czechs and a spot of fiddling…a music review by Fraser Beath McEwing

One of the finest of Dvorak’s symphonies, along with two pieces from Smetana’s popular set of tone poems provided safe and enjoyable bookends to an ear-challenging contemporary violin concerto at the Sydney Opera House Master Series last night. Read more

Music for two wives and a hero…a music review by Fraser Beath McEwing

Wagner wrote a piece for his wife, Cosima. Bartok also wrote a piece for his wife, Ditta. Schoenberg, on the other hand, orchestrated a quartet already written by his hero, Brahms. Read more

Granite blocks with strange lace in between

Two heavyweights from the popular international composes list plus a rarely heard offering from Australia’s Nigel Butterley made for a hearty musical feast at the second of this year’s Sydney Symphony APT Master Series concerts last night, writes Fraser Beath McEwing. Read more

Mendelssohn’s violin concerto sent them wild

Explosive violinist, Christian Tetzlaff, ran away with the show in the first of this year’s Sydney Symphony APT Master Series concerts last night, writes Fraser Beath McEwing. Read more

A night to please

Take a British beginning and end, put Sibelius in the middle, and everybody goes home feeling good – but only if the musicians can deliver, writes Fraser Beath McEwing. Read more

Yefim Bronfman, pianistic force, in two acts

J-Wire took its music reviewer Fraser Beath McEwing to watch one of the world’s top pianists Yefim Bronfman rehearse Brahms powerful Piano Concerto No1 with the Sydney Symphony orchestra followed by a private interview with the maestro…read his report. Read more

Favourite bookends and a bone-shaking middle

The grandeur and familiarity of Beethoven and Brahms sat either side of a pyrotechnic exhibition in sound at the SSO APT Master Series in the Sydney Opera House last night, writes Fraser Beath McEwing. Read more

A voluminous night with Poulenc and Mahler…writes Fraser Beath McEwing

Poulenc and Mahler made a satisfying pairing in the SSO Master Series at the Sydney Opera House last night. They both offered passages no louder than a purring cat juxtaposed with kegs of gelignite being ignited. Read more

A prophetable night – SSO Opera House concert 14 May 2014

But hardly profitable, when you consider the colossal forces that had to be assembled  to perform Mendelssohn’s oratorio, Elijah, 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

Sydney Symphony 2014 Season

The Sydney Symphony Orchestra, together with Chief Conductor and Artistic Director David Robertson, is proud to announce their 2014 season, full of stimulating and diverse offerings for every concert-goer – seasoned and new. 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

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

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