November 2011

From The Editor

‘So if I’m walking between point A and point B, I will try to vary the path as much as possible. I don’t want to walk the same way twice if I can help it,’ says Anne Sofie von Otter. And it’s exactly the same with her singing. Renowned for her versatility the Swedish mezzo-soprano quite frequently switches between genres. In November she makes her Australian debut with the Sydney Symphony and shares the stage with her musical friends, violinist Pekka Kuusisto and pianist Bengt Forsberg. In our cover story Paolo Hooke talks to von Otter about performing highlights from French composer Joseph Canteloube’s most famous collection of songs with some Gershwin, Kern and Weill. Read more...

Another collaboration not to be missed is between internationally acclaimed baritone Teddy Tahu Rhodes and the Sydney Youth Orchestras on 13 October at Sydney Town Hall. ‘The SYO has worked with other vocalists in the past but this is the first collaboration with an operatic artist of such calibre,’ says general manager Bernie Heard. Conducted by Max McBride, the exciting program includes Brahms’s soul-searching Four Serious Songs. To find about more about the concert and the 2012 SYO auditions read Van-Anh Nguyen’s interview with Bernie Heard.

Get ready for a world premiere … this month David Fulmer joins the growing list of distinguished composers who have been commissioned to create a new work for the Sydney Conservatorium of Music’s 101 Compositions for 100 Years program. Fulmer’s fascination with Scandinavian culture strongly influenced his new work Vor dem Morgengrauen (Before the Dawn). Kalvin Ng speaks with the young American composer about taking part in the ambitious 101 project and about the background to his new work.

October 22 marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Franz Liszt.

Celebrate with us as we showcase his innovative and inspiring compositions on 2MBS-FM 102.5!

Ildikó