Art and Abart

Photo from the train: Hawkesbury River with oyster stakes Photo from the train: Hawkesbury River, looking south Travelling by train...

Melbourne shop display They are back, the gollies of yesteryear. So is it politically correct to have a golly again? I have a very lovab...

A rose in my mother's garden It is interesting how the brain reacts when you are in shock or overwhelmed. I am still not sure if it ...

Wunder Bar and Valkyries in Heidhardt's 2004 Adelaide Ring Cycle Elke Neidhardt, director of the first Australian Ring Cycle,  has...

The singing and orchestration was exceptional … so why was the magic missing? Australian Wagnerian singers were gathered from across the g...

Another Flash-mob to love!

Looks suspiciously like Wotan's staff.... As the Melbourne Ring Cycle continues, we look at a Wotan a bit further south. New Zeal...

The Ring Cycle begins today in Melbourne (my thoughts on the Melbourne Ring coming soon) but I flew back to Sydney, having spent 10 music/...

Climate action rally in Melbourne Eighty thousand people demonstrated for climate action in Australia today.  People of all ages from ma...

Techie stuff, Melbourne State Theatre The Melbourne Ring Cycle is not being filmed, but it is being taped for broadcast by the ABC in D...

Wrapped in wool Melbourne is cold. I brought woollen jumpers and jacket but still I froze when I arrived so I bought a wonderful bright ...

Melbourne Arts Centre The Melbourne Arts Centre, venue for the Melbourne Ring Cycle, is called the Big Raspberry by locals and you do in...

Stefan Vinke (photo from operaarts.com) Bravo to German tenor Stefan Vinke who sings Siegfried in the Melbourne Ring Cycle. He sang th...

Inside Melbourne's State Theatre Miriam Gordon-Stewart (Sieglinde) and Stuart Skelton (Siegmund) opened last night's dress rehe...

Irises on the day of my Mother's farewell At the end of September winter gardens begin to stir in Taihape. The first daffodils flowe...

Frances Ruth Gordon, 1920 - 2013 My mother Frances Ruth Gordon died last Thursday aged 93.  She was a passionate gardener and left behin...

Jackie Orszaczky , Watercolour on Arches paper, 76 x 56 cm Today I found Jackie Orszaczky on YouTube. I have been playing the clips and...

Rheinmaidens in costume (Picture from Opera Australia) When the Ring Cycle was performed in Adelaide the Valkyries were bar-girls and sa...

Steven Isserlis's cello runs away with itself (12 x 17 cm) The virtuosic cello player Steven Isserlis is one with his instrument a...

What a charming fellow, explaining why you should turn your mobile phone off in concerts.