Fine Music June 2011

This will be a real treat … Lang Lang plays Rachmaninov and Lang Lang plays Tchaikovsky, both with the Sydney Symphony. Joining them is guest conductor and long-time supporter, Jahja Ling. This will be the first collaboration outside America for the two friends. Everyone knows these piano concertos so the challenge will be to play it ‘as if they’re the premiere’. In our cover story the star pianist talks to Paolo Hooke about performing and discovering new details in these works of rich musical content and colour. Read more...

Another internationally renowned pianist Piers Lane returns to Australia as the Artistic Director of the 21st Australian Festival of Chamber Music, to be held in Townsville from 29 July to 6 August. Over the years the festival has grown bigger than the north of Queensland, attracting a solid line-up of international and Australian artists, like The Goldner String Quartet, Lisa Gasteen and others. Kalvin Ng chats to Piers Lane, who himself will be performing in several of the festival’s concerts.

Award-winning Australian conductor Antony Walker, following in the footsteps of Charles Mackerras, Richard Bonynge and Simone Young in being the fourth Australian at the MET, recently made his debut conducting Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice. Between his Opera Australia and MET engagements he speaks to George Segal about life on the road.

Also in this issue, we feature vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Bruce Bongers. In the 70s, Bruce was a founding member of the Junior & The Gold Tops, establishing his credibility as a top harmonica player in the Chicago blues style. Since then he has been a driving force on the Sydney blues scene. Chris Ruhle asks Bruce about the halcyon days and his latest project, the Downhome Quartet.

Piano, harmonica or slide guitar … enjoy the music!

Ildikó