Alexandra Mathew
Alexandra Mathew is from Readings State Library Victoria
Review — 26 May 2019
Liszt’s Italian Pilgrimage by Tristan Lee
Melbourne’s own Tristan Lee recently emerged from a PhD, for which he was researching the music of Beethoven and Liszt. His recording of Liszt’s Années de pèlerinage: Deuxième année: Italie…
Review — 26 May 2019
Gounod: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2 Iceland Symphony Orchestra & Yan Pascal Tortelier
Being so opera-centric as I am, it was not until this CD fell into my hands that I discovered Gounod was in fact a great symphonist. Under the baton of…
Review — 26 May 2019
Il Giardino Dei Sospiri by Magdalena Kozena, Collegium 1704 and Václav Luks
Magdalena Kožená’s silvery mezzo soprano voice is a fascinating one: she possesses a bright upper register befitting a coloratura soprano, and a rich, penetrative depth throughout her range which allows…
Review — 22 Apr 2019
In Circles by Amy Dickson
I used to have little interest in classical saxophone repertoire, until one day, in Paris, I was walking through a deserted passageway, and I heard a most beautiful, soulful sound…
Review — 25 Mar 2019
The Parisian by Isabella Hammad
It is 1914, and Midhat Kamal has travelled from Palestine to France to study medicine at the University of Montpellier. He is billeted with the Molineu family (Frédéric, father and…
Review — 26 Mar 2019
Elles by Marina Thibeault & Marie-Eve Scarfone
In a similar vein to Women of Note, and again to coincide with International Women’s Day, French-Canadian violist Marina Thibeault has released an album featuring chamber music by some…
Review — 25 Mar 2019
Women of Note: A Century of Australian Composes by ABC Classics
2019 has seen a welcome proliferation of recordings featuring music by women. Although for a long time musical women were actively discouraged from composing and audiences were less willing to…
Review — 25 Feb 2019
Britten: Hymn to St Cecilia by Justin Doyle & RIAS Kammerchor
Benjamin Britten was just twenty-nine when his Hymn to St Cecilia premiered on 22 November, 1942 – the feast day of St Cecilia, patron saint of music, and Britten’s birthday…
Review — 25 Feb 2019
Ibn Battuta: The Traveler of Islam by Jordi Savall & Hesperion XXI
Recorded over two years and across two countries, Ibn Battuta: Traveller of Islam tells the story of the travels of the great Muslim Moroccan scholar of the same name. In…
Review — 29 Apr 2019
Florence Beatrice Price: Symphonies 1 & 4 by John Jeter & Fort Smith Symphony
Florence Price, the first African American woman to gain recognition as a symphonic composer, was remarkable. Celebrated contralto Marian Anderson championed and recorded Price’s vocal music, and, in 1932, Price’s…