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A glittering night was enjoyed by all who
attended the recent Melba fundraiser held at Jeanne
Pratt’s residence, Raheen.
The evening’s guest of honour Bruce
Beresford talked with Terry
Lane about neglected masterpieces—“Yes, there are such things
and the stories behind them are frequently
complicated”—and his love of music and directing a
young Elizabeth Hurley in the movie Aria to the
music of Korngold—to the success of his film
Mao’s Last Dancer. He also talked about directing André Previn’s wonderful but
challenging Streetcar Named Desire for Opera
Australia. [MORE] Melba artists Paul Dean and Timothy Young gave a
stunning performance of the last movement of Mozart's
Clarinet Concerto, arranged for clarinet and piano.
[Buy Paul Dean's
Sublime Mozart and
Beloved of the Gods]
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Next
month soprano Cheryl Barker will be in the
studios with Guillaume Tourniaire and the
Queensland Symphony Orchestra to record a Tribute to
her teacher, Dame Joan Hammond. The repertoire
comprises arias and songs the great Diva loved to
perform, including
Elle a fui, la tourterelle from Les contes d'Hoffmann by Offenbach;
When I am laid in Earth
from Dido and Aeneas by Purcell; Glück
das mir verblieb
from Die tote Stadt by Korngold...
[Buy
Cheryl Barker's Puccini Passion here]
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On 5 February the Governor of Victoria,
Professor David de Kretser and Mrs de Kretser hosted a
morning tea at Government House in honour of the Melba
Foundation.
The
reception was an opportunity to meet Maestro Tourniaire who offered insights into his passion for
Romantic French music and in particular the repertoire
of the project completed the day before—ballet music
from Saint-Saëns operas, performed by Orchestra
Victoria.
A
highlight of the morning was the charismatic performance
of Melba artists, violinist Kristian Winther and
pianist Benjamin Martin, in music of Ravel and
Saint-Saëns.
[Buy
Kristian Winther's CD
Tzigane
and
Benjamin Martin's Encore my good
sir! ]
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Ray Chen first came to Melba Recordings’
attention with his win in the 2008 International
Yehudi Menuhin Violin Competition. Ray, at Melba’s
invitation, then played at a Melba function at the New
York residence of the Australian Ambassador to the UN.
In 2009, Ray won the world’s most prestigious violin
competition, Queen Elisabeth International Violin
Competition in Brussels, setting him on the road to
a major international solo career.
The repertoire for Ray’s debut recording, with pianist
Timothy Young, is music of Stravinsky, including his adaptations
of other composers’ music, ranging from Tchaikovsky’s
ballet music in the Divertimento to Pergolesi
(and other baroque composers) in the Suite after
themes... There is also an adaptation for violin and
piano of his Pulcinella Ballet music and the
famous Danse Russe. All of the music is now recorded and in post production.
[MORE]
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MALCOLM LONG REBRANDS AUSTRALIA...
Malcolm Long is a communications industry commentator
and consultant. He is Chairman of the National Institute
of Dramatic Art (NIDA) and a Member of the Australian
Communications and Media Authority. He is a former
managing director of SBS, deputy managing director of
the ABC and executive director of the Australian Film
Television and Radio School.
In an online
essay on
ABC-The drum unleashed Mr Long argues: "As
a nation, Australians have not been good at collectively
exploring who we are. We have rarely gone beyond sun,
surf, flora and fauna - and sport - in our attempts to
fix an Australian personality, and even then most
attempts have been based on selling a product or
promoting a specific activity, such as the Sydney
Olympics. Perhaps our traditional dependence as a nation
on the tangible industries based on the farm, the
factory and the mine has blunted our ability to
appreciate the fact that an intangible - the capacity to
successfully communicate a meaningful and appealing
national character - can be of enormous value to the
country.
"This same syndrome has blunted our appreciation of how
the arts and cultural industries contribute to the
nation's broader goals, through fostering a culture of
creativity and innovation and helping to define and
explore the cluster of identities that make up the
Australian character. Indeed, the arts should be able to
play a prominent role in assisting a new national brand
co-ordinator in its work." |
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*
Melba Recordings has two double passes to Rachmaninov’s
The Bells to give away thanks to the Melbourne Symphony
Orchestra. Melba star tenor Steve Davislim sings with
the MSO and conductor Vladimir Ashkenazy.
To win a double pass for Saturday 6 March 2010 at 2pm at
Hamer Hall, The Arts Centre, simply be the 10th and 20th
Newsletter subscriber to ring Melba (03) 9534 5004. Good
luck!
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Melba Recordings Pty Ltd & Melba Foundation Ltd
www.melbarecordings.com.au
PO Box 415, Elwood Victoria 3184 Australia
Phone: 613 9534 5004 Fax: 613 9593 8533 Email: info@melbarecordings.com.au
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