Are you an Agatha Christie fan like us? Then this post is for you. Christie fans from around the world were asked which book they would recommend to young readers hoping to immerse themselves into the world of Agatha Christie for the first time. These ten thrilling mysteries came out on top and some fans have been asked to explore what it is about these stories that make them so appealing.
Widely acknowledged to be the best-selling author in the world after Shakespeare, Dame Agatha Christie's crime & mystery books are so popular simply because they have compelling detectives & related major characters, and colourful suspects. Her novels are one of the first murder mysteries ever written.
VERDI'S REQUIEM presented by the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs
Date: Saturday 20 May 2023 at 2pm Venue: Sydney Opera House Concert Hall
Sydney Philharmonia Choirs lifts the roof of the Sydney Opera House with Verdi’s Requiem – music’s most awesome mass for the dead. Like
any of his operas, Verdi offers the full range emotions in his music –
from dramatic terror to heart-melting serenity – and gives us a deeply
personal expression of grief. In front of the powerful 350-voice
Festival Chorus and Sydney Philhamonia Orchestra are four of Australia’s
leading opera stars, all conducted by artistic and music director Brett Weymark.
Ten minutes into Verdi’s Requiem, the “Dies irae” (Day of Wrath) thunders through the hall, carrying all who hear it on a wave of terror as Verdi dials the drama up to 11. At the other extreme is the anguish of the weeping “Lacrymosa” and the gleaming serenity of the “Lux aeterna” (Light Eternal). Verdi has given us a musical expression of grief that’s both deeply intimate and supremely spectacular and that combination is what makes his Requiem one of the best-loved choral works in the repertoire.
Verdi’s Requiem might be funeral music – a mass for the dead – but its emotional impact, and the sheer drama of the music, is equal to a night at the opera. So if you love his operas (think Rigoletto, La Traviata, Aida…) join us to experience the genius of his Requiem with our biggest choir, the Festival Chorus, stars of the Australian opera stage and the Sydney Philharmonia Orchestra in full force.
PROGRAM
Verdi's Requiem
ARTISTS
Brett Weymark conductor Maija Kovalevska soprano Deborah Humble mezzo-soprano Diego Torre tenor David Greco bass Festival Chorus Sydney Philharmonia Orchestra
PRE-CONCERT TALK
Come to the Northern Foyer from 1pm to hear 2MBS Fine Music presenter Ross Hayes speak
about Verdi’s Requiem. This talk is made possible with the support of 2MBS Fine Music. Grab a drink at the bar and enjoy this free,
30-minute talk, with plenty of time to find your seat for the 2pm
concert.
Seating is on the carpeted stairs in the Northern Foyer.
Access the Northern Foyer via the new tunnel from the Southern Foyer.
Saturday 20 May: 1:15PM-1:45PM
Concert Hall, Northern Foyer stairs
Reviews:
Verdi’s Requiem: A concert review by Shirley Politzer. May 24, 2023 by Shirley Politzer. "Supporting the wonderful soloists is the
very capable Sydney Philharmonia Festival Chorus, which filled four
boxes around the stage. They were able to use their voices successfully
to create the mood required as well as sing in a fugal style or
single-line melody. They were also a visual pleasure in how they sat and
stood all together and held their folders-something I believe is as
important as their singing.
Brett Weymark, artistic and music director
of the Sydney Philharmonic Choirs and Orchestra, had full command of
the 50 orchestra members, 330 odd choir surrounding him, and the four
soloists, leaving nothing to chance." Accessed 25 MAy 2023.
VERDI’S REQUIEM WITH SYDNEY PHILHARMONIA CHOIRS. 5 Stars. Sydney Arts Guide. Reviewed by Annabelle Drumm, 21 May 2023. "Lead by Artistic Director Brett Weymark,
the Sydney Philharmonia Orchestra and combined choirs of 350 voices
were out in full force. It’s a work that starkly highlights each area of
the orchestra in their moments of magic and the musicians fully
embraced each opportunity." Accessed 22 May 2023.
2023 Verdi's Requiem 2. Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. Experience the drama and emotional power of Verdi’s Requiem, from the sky-shattering terror of the Dies Irae to the sublime, heart melting Lacrymosa. Four of Australia's leading opera stars and the 350+ voices of our Festival Chorus fill the Sydney Opera House Concert in this single matinee performance. YouTube, accessed April 20, 2023.
Photo Credit:
Sydney Philharmonia Choirs / Keith Saunders.
Resources:
Verdi's Requiem. Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. Accessed April 6, 2023
Sydney Philharmonia Choirs' 2023 Season Catalogue.
Tickets:
Premium $129 | A $105 | B $85 | C $60 | D $45 Concessions $116 | A $92| B $75 | C $55 | D $41 Under 30 $30
A booking fee of $8.95 per transaction applies.
Up-to-date COVID guidelines will be available a few weeks before the concert. Sydney Philharmonia Choirs regularly update their guidelines based on health directives from NSW Government & the Sydney Opera House.
(c) April 20, 2023. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.
Handel's Samson presented by the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs
Date: Saturday 8 April 2023, 7pm Venue: Sydney Opera House, Concert Hall
Raise the roof, bring down the temple - with Handel's mightiest oratorio!
Samson, Judge of
Israel, married a Philistine woman, Dalila, who discovered that his
supernatural strength derived from his never cutting his hair. Dalila
shore his hair while he was sleeping and betrayed him to her people, the
Philistines, enemy of the Israelites. The Philistines captured Samson
and put his eyes out.
In “Let the Bright Seraphim,” an Israelite woman calls upon heavenly hosts to commemorate Samson's heroic death and triumph over the Philistines. The piece is an example of the archetypal genre of Baroque vocal music, the da capo aria.
"Let the bright Seraphim in
burning row their loud uplifted
angel-trumpets blow.
Let the cherubic host, in tuneful
choir, touch their immortal
harps with golden wire.
Let the bright Seraphim in
burning row their loud uplifted
angel-trumpets blow."
Hot on the heels of Messiah, Handel embarked on another masterpiece: a new oratorio on the story of Samson, the Bible’s original muscle man. Samson was composed
shortly after Handel's most famous work Messiah and consolidates the
German composer's turn from Italian opera to the development of the
English oratorio.This is Biblical drama at its very best – vividly imagined music composed with the finest actor-singers in mind, an opera in all but name.
Handel plunges into the action: we meet Samson, already shorn and blinded, living in a “total eclipse”, a broken prisoner of the Philistines. And over three acts, the music traces a psychological drama that ends with the destruction of the temple and the hero’s ultimate redemption. This great but all too rarely performed oratorio shows Handel’s gift for musical characterisation with rousing choruses for devout Israelites and decadent Philistines, and exquisite
arias, ranging from Dalila’s alluring music to the rejoicing sounds of “Let the bright Seraphim”, the much-loved highlight.
For Samson, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs' Symphony Chorus, some favourite soloists and a massive orchestra (by baroque standards) will unite under the baton of Maestro Brett Weymark to bring the theatre into the concert hall.
Saturday 8 April 2023 at 1pm
Sydney Opera House Concert Hall
Running Time: This performance will run for 3 hours including one 20-minute interval.
Image: Conductor Brett Weymark, soloists, Symphony Chorus, and the Sydney Philharmonic Orchestra in this very special Easter weekend matinee concert.
PROGRAM
Deborah Cheetham Fraillon & Matthew Doyle Tarimi Nulay - Long time living here*
George Frideric HANDEL Samson
* Commissioned for SPC's 100 Minutes of New Australian Music project
ARTISTS
Brett Weymark conductor Alexander Lewis tenor (Samson) Celeste Lazarenkosoprano (Israelite Woman, Dalila) Russell Harcourtcountertenor (Micah) Christopher Richardsonbass‑baritone (Manoa) Andrew O’Connorbass (Harapha) Symphony Chorus Sydney Philharmonia Orchestra
Tickets:
Premium $129 | A $105 | B $85 | C $60 | D $45 Concessions $116 | A $92| B $75 | C $55 | D $41 Under 30 $30
A booking fee of $8.95 per transaction applies.
Reviews:
Great Praise for Samson. ClassikON. by Daniel Kaan | Apr 9, 2023 | Ambassador thoughts, Choirs, Music Directors & Conductors, Orchestras
Handel’s Samson Sydney Philharmonia Choir. Opera House Concert Hall. April 8, 2023. The Sydney Morning Herald. Reviewed by Peter McCallum. ★★★★ Reviewed alongside other performances.
Samson (Sydney Philharmonia Choirs). Sydney Philharmonia Choirs celebrates a
significant milestone with blazing performance of Handel's Samson, with
soloists and choir on top form. Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House. ★★★★★ Reviewed on 8 April, 2023 by
Steve Moffatt
on
10 April, 2023
2023 Handel's Samson V1 - YouTube. 2023 Season, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. Accessed March 24, 2023.
2023 Handel's Samson V2 - YouTube. 2023 Season, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. Accessed March 24, 2023.
Resources:
Brett Weymark Conducts HANDEL'S SAMSON at the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall. Broadway World. Accessed March 24, 2023.
Handel's Samson. Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. Accessed MArch 24, 2023
Sydney Philharmonia Choirs' 2023 Season Catalogue.
COVID-19 SAFETY AT SPC CONCERTS
Up-to-date COVID guidelines will be available a few weeks before the
concert. SPC regularly update their guidelines based on
health directives from NSW Government & the Sydney Opera House.
(c) March 24, 2023. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.
The GOLDEN AGE of BROADWAYpresented by the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs
Date: Saturday 6 May 2023, 7pm Venue: Sydney Opera House, Concert Hall
Note: This Concert Hall performance will be broadcast live to a ticketed audience on the Forecourt, as part of Inside/Out at the House, celebrating 50 years of the Sydney Opera House. Find out more at Sydneyoperahouse.com
All the classic favourites in a dazzling tribute to the great Broadway musicals.
What’s playin’ at The Roxy? I’ll tell ya what’s playin’ at The Roxy!
For one night only the Sydney Opera House will go back to a time of lush orchestrations, toe-tapping tunes, and those catchy songs that changed the shape of musical theatre for decades to come.
Sydney Philharmonia Choirs will light up the stage with over 100 choristers, a star-studded cast of vocalists, and bring the Golden Age of Broadway back to life with the brilliant music of Leonard Bernstein, Irving Berlin, Cole Porter and more.
As part of the Inside/Out at the House classical festival celebrating the Sydney Opera House 50th Anniversary, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs and Orchestra will present a stunning concert inside in the Concert Hall – whilst also being broadcast to an audience on the Forecourt.
Music was the salve that healed the wounds of 1940’s America, a time in dire need of laughter and lightness – and composers answered the call with upbeat sing-a-long musicals such as On the Town and Kiss Me, Kate while stars like Gertrude Lawrence and Danny Kaye lit up the stage.
The Golden Age reached its zenith in the 1950s when audiences filled the theatres to see the likes of Guys and Dolls and My Fair Lady with their unforgettable tunes and dancing. In the 1960s, as the Sydney Opera House was taking shape on the other side of the world, Broadway’s audiences thrilled to Hello Dolly, Mame and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. It’s high energy, optimistic music that puts the choir in the spotlight!
Sit back and watch the house lights dim, and as the first notes unfold be transported to the Golden Age of Broadway.
Saturday 6 May | 7pm Concert Hall | Sydney Opera House And broadcast to the Forecourt
PROGRAM
An evening of dreamy choruses and beloved songs from the Broadway musicals that shaped our times, including Guys & Dolls, Oklahoma, Gypsy, Kiss Me Kate, My Fair Lady, and more*.
*Please note, this program may be subject to change.
The performance will run for approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes, including one 20-minute interval.
ARTISTS
Brett Weymark Conductor Virginia Gay Georgina Hopson Kanen Breen Alexander Lewis Symphony Chorus Sydney Philharmonia Orchestra
This Concert Hall performance will be broadcast live to a ticketed audience on the Forecourt, as part of Inside/Out at the House, celebrating 50 years of the Sydney Opera House. Find out more at sydneyoperahouse.com
Image:
Conductor Brett Weymark, soloists, Symphony Chorus, and the Sydney
Philharmonic Orchestra.
Reviews:
Golden Age of Broadway a Bewitching Show. ClassikON. Reviewed by Jacqui Smith | May 7, 2023 | Ambassador thoughts, Choirs, Music Directors & Conductors, Orchestras. Accessed May 9, 2023.
Review: The Golden Age of Broadway is Sydney Philharmonia Choirs' Contribution to The Sydney Opera House's Inside/Out At The House Season. broadwayworld.com. Reviewed by Jade Kops. Accessed May 7, 2023.
The Golden Age of Broadway (Sydney Philharmonia Choirs). 4.5/5 Stars. The stars come out for a night of popular music that sends its audience out on a high. Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House. Reviewed by Deborah Jones. May 7, 2023
New York Philharmonic New Year's Eve: Bernstein on Broadway. YouTube, uploaded by rayray10. Accessed April 26, 2023. The New York Philharmonic celebrates the centennial of the late Leonard Bernstein, its fabled Musical Director from 1958 to 1969.
Led by Bramwell Tovey, with special guests Annaleigh Ashford, Christopher Jackson, Laura Osnes and Aaron Tveit, this loving tribute promises to become a classical music moment to remember.
Sydney Philharmonia Choirs' 2023 Season Catalogue.
Tickets:
Premium $129 | A $105 | B $85 | C $60 | D $45 Concessions $116 | A $92| B $75 | C $55 | D $41 Under 30 $30
A booking fee of $8.95 per transaction applies.
COVID-19 SAFETY AT SPC CONCERTS
Up-to-date COVID guidelines will be available a few weeks before the concert. SPC regularly update their guidelines based on
health directives from NSW Government & the Sydney Opera House.
(c) April 6, 2023. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.
