Category Archive: Classical Music
Happy Birthday Felix
(Painting of Felix by James Warren Childe - 1829)
Felix Mendelssohn (3 February 1809 to 4 November 1847) The great German romantic composer was born this day 208 years ago. Mendelssohn and his sister were recognised early as music prodigies, and they became darlings of the salon. After a false start with an opera, he had increasing success with works of classical structure and high refinement. To some tastes, he is too polished: to The Varnished Culture, this is akin to quibbling about Michelangelo‘s David for the smoothness of the marble. As with the great painter / sculptor, the polish was born of sheer hard work. Mendelssohn worked himself…
Continue Reading →Unfinished
Franz Schubert ‘s Symphony 8, the unfinished one, debuted 17 December 1865 in Vienna. The composer was not able to hear it, having been decomposing since 1828. Yet it is a marvellous piece of work, and all the more intriguing as we don’t know why Franz didn’t get around to finishing, apart from a hatred of paperwork, a love of booze and a touch of syphilis. This because he was actually a real grind, with an astonishing output considering his short life. Our review of a recent work is here covering Die Winterreise. When he sat down to sketch out…
Continue Reading →Das Rheingold
(Opera Australia, Melbourne, 30 November 2016) (Dir. Neil Armfield) This reprise of the production from 2013 seems tighter but the essentials of staging and (thankfully) the precision of the Melbourne Ring Orchestra under Pietari Inkinen, are retained. In a minor miracle of timing, we have had the election of Mr Trump, an Alberich for our times. Moreover, reports of a dark-haired, wide-browed man – Nibelungen-like – making off with $2.1m in gold from the back of a bank truck in Manhattan – suggest that the stars had aligned for this production. Having said that, there is a lot of tosh written about The…
Continue Reading →Richard Wagner Society of Victoria
(Federation Hall, Melbourne, 30 November 2016) The Varnished Culture was honoured to attend a soirée at the Victorian College of the (we trust, Beaux,) Arts on the eve of the 2nd cycle of Melbourne’s Ring. New President of The Richard Wagner Society (in Victoria) Inc., the urbane and congenial Mr. Trevor Clarke, who’s learned discourses on Wagner matters are well known, welcomed Wagnerites from all compass-points, including the Presidents and representatives of Wagner Societies in Singapore, Toronto and the great State of Western Australia. Over copious drinks and sandwiches on trays prettily bedecked in tussie-mussie, distributed by diverse and erudite Norns from the Society, TVC…
Continue Reading →Zukerman Unbound
Pinchas Zukerman and friends, 27 November 2016, Adelaide Town Hall. The famous Zukerman trio (the Big Z directing and on violin; Angela Cheng on piano and Amanda Forsyth on cello) and selected members of the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra variously performed Debussy’s Cello Sonata; Franck’s Violin Sonata, and Mendelssohn’s Octet, impeccably, with real brio and élan. The Cello Sonata is a mess, frankly, an example of Debussy’s notorious musical impressionism, likely to be enjoyed only by the likes of free-former Scratchy Impasto. But then Mr. Zukerman strode onto the stage and with piano accompaniment, delivered a beautiful version of Cesar’s Franck’s intricate…
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