Arts and culture
Sebastian Smee
His schooling was at St Peter’s College, Adelaide followed by the University of Sydney where he graduated with honours in…
Valda Wilson sings Theodora
Antioch on the Orontes River, founded in late 4th century BC, became an important city in the East of the…
La Belle Époque
Farce is a difficult theatrical form to write and to stage successfully. Farce operates beyond reality; a farce must establish…
Ko wai Koe (Who Are You) 2005 from the series The Odyssey of Captain Cook by Marian Maguire
When colourful Tasmanian identity David Walsh announced his intention to build an art gallery in Hobart, open to the public…
Adam Frandsen plays The Architect
First performed 21 years ago, it’s title was The Eighth Wonder. This year it is being revived under a cumbersome…
David Hockney
Born in Yorkshire 79 years ago, he fell in love with the idea of California as a child via Hollywood…
Kevin Jackson as Nijinsky
In 1981, at the Sydney Theatre Company, we presented a stylish production of Chinchilla, a play by Robert David MacDonald…
Ladies in Black
David Jones administration may be moving to Melbourne but that won’t worry Sydney: it knows where DJ’s really belongs. Reading…
Paul Dyer & ABO section leaders
Announcements of 2017 seasons are coming thick and fast. The Sydney Theatre Company, having lost an artistic director on the…
Pirramimma, Wentworth Falls
Gardens are one of the indicators of civilisation. It is said that the first references to gardens occurred about 4,000…
Maxim Vengerov
Sir Andrew Davis, chief conductor of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, described its recently announced 2017 season as ‘a marvellous feast…
Martha Argerich
This is the time of the year when the major performing arts companies announce their seasons for next year, beginning…
John Armstrong
‘What is art for?’ is a question too rarely asked. The question is posed, and answered, in the book Art…
Sculptures at Barangaroo
The most significant enhancement to Sydney Harbour since the restoration of Walsh Bay, the Barangaroo development is coming into its…
The Ring Cycle
Although it was premiered in Bayreuth in 1876, it was another 122 years before The Ring Cycle by Richard Wagner…
Archibald portraits
‘A portrait is a painting with something wrong about the mouth’ is a quotation attributed to John Singer Sargent, painter…
Disney’s Aladdin
To my parents in the 1930s, the name Disney meant Mickey Mouse. Now the name is associated not only with…
Mozart’s operas
A couple of weeks ago Opera Australia celebrated its 60th Anniversary with a gala concert at the Opera House. Surprisingly…
Amber Scott and Adam Bull in Swan Lake
Amid predictable demands for increased funding for the arts, The Australian Ballet is setting off on its 25th ( yes,…
Jonathan Church
To mis-quote Lady Bracknell: losing an artistic director after just 9 months ‘smacks of carelessness’. That is exactly what has…
Piers Lane
David Speers was irritated when Bronwyn Bishop spoke about the Sydney International Piano Competition when he wanted her to dish…
Conductor Antony Walker
He was the most successful and influential composer of the classical period; Josef Haydn (1732-1809) wrote 108 symphonies, 68 string…
Barry Humphries
A failed political experiment that began nearly 100 years ago, the Weimar Republic (1918-1933), still holds considerable fascination for many…
Eoin Andersen
Zurich’s loss was Melbourne’s gain in 2015 when Eoin Andersen became Concertmaster of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. Having begun violin…
Culture buff
It was a big week for art auctions; Sotheby’s grossed $14.2 million over May10 & 11, their best result since…
