Art and Abart: 2024

Sunday, November 24, 2024

Die Walkurie in Sydney

The Sydney Symphony Orchestra put on a sung version of Wagner's Die Walkürie this month and both performances were sold out, as well they might be with Simone Young conducting and a selection of international singers at the top of their game. The performance I went to got an extended standing ovation from the delighted audience.

Last year the first of the four operas, Rheingold, was performed and next year comes Siegfried. What a feast.

I made some etchings of Simone Young in 2009 when I was in Hamburg and she was Artistic Director at the Hamburg State Opera. The city was having a building boom, not least was the Elbsymphonie, with cranes everywhere, and they crept into the etching. It is in the book 'Painted Musicians' (previous post).

Saturday, August 31, 2024

The Painted Musician: Sydney to Dunedin, Hamburg to Maribor

The Painted Musician: Sydney to Dunedin, Hamburg to Maribor is the companion book to The Painted Orchestra and tells the story about the artist's journey painting musicians.

The book is full of anecdotes about painting musicians and singers as they perform with the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra among others. We get caught up in the excitement the artist feels hearing world class performances with paintbrush in hand.

The Painted Musician is available through your local bookseller or through Amazon at :