In Tuesday’s (8/30) Australian (Sydney), Matthew Westwood writes, “The Australian World Orchestra, which gave its debut concerts in Sydney at the weekend, was dreamed up by conductor Alexander Briger as a showcase for Australian musicians working here and abroad. It’s a kind of premier league for orchestral musicians. … It was clear the AWO had fielded a highly talented team. But when I went to the first concert at the Sydney Opera House on Friday evening, it was more out of curiosity than anticipation of being blown away. … The playing may have lacked the final finesse you would expect of a full-time orchestra, but I was dazzled by the quicksilver exchanges and the distinctive tone-colours brought to each piece. … Some of the musicians who returned to play in the AWO have never had professional careers in this country. Piccolo player Linda Stuckey was raised in Sydney, studied at the Canberra School of Music and won a scholarship to the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, England. … But in talking to several expat musicians in recent weeks, I heard no hint of cultural cringe—the flight from real or imagined philistinism—that tarnished the experience of earlier generations of artists.”
Posted August 30, 2011
