9th December 2016
by harryfiddler
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I’m feeling a little tired and emotional. It’s the end of a long year and the morning after a night of trying to keep my eldest’s Year 10 Formal revelries legal. So apologies for another Flashback Friday, but this one … Continue reading
27th November 2016
by harryfiddler
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It was a crowded house last night. Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs, an all-star cast and a packed Concert Hall within. And without, all of Bennelong Point swarming with people either inside the enclosure, on the steps, or outside, … Continue reading
16th October 2016
by harryfiddler
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After my devil’s advocacy earlier this week, I found myself surrounded by HIPsters* yesterday. The Australian Haydn Ensemble, playing Beethoven, in chamber arrangements, in Sydney Opera House, on original instruments. In 2016. The AHE have been going for five years … Continue reading
25th September 2016
by harryfiddler
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This is meant to be a review of the Jerusalem Quartet’s second Sydney concert, which I went to yesterday afternoon. It’s meant to be a well-informed, insightful response to a live performance. But it’s not going to be. You see, … Continue reading
18th August 2016
by harryfiddler
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I’m reading Nicholas Cook’s excellent Music: a very short introduction. It’s a great counterpoint to the mad whirl of music-making, -talking, -listening to and -not listening to that is Dartington International Summer School. In it he talks about music and … Continue reading
28th July 2016
by harryfiddler
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World Premiere! Debut performance! Newly-discovered! Never before heard/seen/smelt/felt…. Plus ca change.Whether it’s the 1700s or the 2000s, we’re all suckers for novelty. The overseas star, the new commission, the next big thing. Even in the sometimes fusty arena of … Continue reading
27th May 2014
by harryfiddler
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After the blow by blow account of my 11 yo’s journey through time, space and the land of nod, what did Harriet Cunningham, music critic, make of the experience? There’s much to love about this quixotic project. Firstly, the immaculate … Continue reading
20th May 2011
by harryfiddler
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I had to review the Australian Brandenburg concert for SMH last Friday. It was, as expected, a great concert. I make no secret of the fact that I’m a fan of mezzo soprano Fiona Campbell and have been ever since … Continue reading
16th August 2010
by harryfiddler
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Writing music must seem like a thankless task at times: you invest all your creativity into a work, hear it once then, in most cases, see it sink without trace. The music of Ross Edwards, however, bucks this trend. Continue reading