Kate Rockstrom
Kate Rockstrom regularly reviews classical music for Readings. She also performs as a flautist, as well as writing about music and books.
Review — 20 Oct 2016
Telemann: Sonatas, Sonatinas and Fantasias
When I listen to Genevieve Lacey perform I often forget something, I get distracted by her lovely turn of phrase, her clean and bright sound, and those fast, pattering fingers…
Review — 25 Sep 2016
Bach by Nemanja Radulovic
Bach has been recorded, re-recorded and then re-done, re-worked and re-recorded again. But never have I heard such an arrangement of J.S. Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D Minor as…
Review — 24 Jul 2016
Shostakovich & Glazunov: Violin Concertos
The always talented Nicola Benedetti returns to the catalogue with a recording of the historic Shostakovich Violin Concerto and the lovely and underrated Glazunov Violin Concerto. The dark opening strains…
Review — 26 Jun 2016
Vaughan Williams: Symphonies 2 & 8 (Vol. 1) by Andrew Manze & The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
With a quiet intake of breath, the opening notes of Vaughan Williams’ London Symphony creep into your awareness, painting a picture so clearly you can describe the colours of a…
Review — 25 Apr 2016
1000 Years Of Classical Music
ABC Classics has been producing high-quality recordings of all the Australian orchestras, chamber groups, choirs and soloists for years. This means they have an extensive library of music that is…
Review — 29 Feb 2016
Beethoven Piano Trios by Seraphim Trio
With a flourish the new Seraphim Trio recording transports you back in time to when there was unmatched elegance and an outpouring of such beautiful music that you still hear…
Review — 25 Oct 2015
Bach & Chindamo: The New Goldberg Variations
When you start listening to this recording, make sure that ambient noises are at a minimum. The first few notes on this sublime reinterpretation of Bach’s Goldberg Variations will sweep…
Review — 28 Sep 2015
New Seasons by Gidon Kremer & Kremerata Baltica
‘We often look at the scores of contemporary music with some scepticism. Many people (including musicians) are already turned off by the word “contemporary”. They associate it with something purely…
Review — 28 Sep 2015
Intimate voices: Sibelius String Quartets by Flinders Quartet
Everyone knows Sibelius’s orchestral works – even if you don’t think you do, you’ve probably heard his enormously famous Finlandia at least once – which are stirring and sublime in…
Review — 27 Jul 2015
Island Songs by Amy Dickson & Sydney Symphony Orchestra
I’ve noticed over the years that saxophonist Amy Dickson has become a true champion of contemporary classical music. Often presenting modern music in a way that is accessible to everyone…