This month kicks off with a much anticipated season from Operabox. Their production of Massenet’s Manon will run September 1-7th directed by Opera Australia’s Gaetano Bonfante, conducted by Christopher Dragon with Jenna Robertson in the title role.
On the 2nd master piano technician Paul Tunzi will celebrate 30 years in the industry with Keys in the City. The ingenuous interactive installation at the city of Perth library will allow tour groups to watch demonstrations on 30 of Australia’s rarest pianos including the ‘First Fleet piano’. Also on the 2nd Rob Buckland and Matt Styles will perform a rare double saxophone concerto with WAAPA’s Symphonic Wind Ensemble.
Cat Hope is back in Perth and on the 3rd her ensemble Decibel will perform a series of works ‘composed’ by visual artists as part of an art exhibition called Sounding Art at PS Art Space.
The WA Symphony Orchestra will begin their Wagner series on the 6th with a concert making connections between Liszt, Schumann and Wagner including extracts from the epic four-opera Ring Cycle. On the 9th the series continues with excerpts from Tristan und Isolde, bass baritone Shane Lowrencev singing arias from Die Walküre and Die Meistersinger and music by those who followed after including Bruckner and Strauss. On the 24th the WASO Chorus will be in the spotlight singing Ligeti’s Lux Aeterna, Bach and the world premiere of a work by Lachlan Skipworth.
Choral music is prominent this month with the Giovanni Consort’s Donne on the 8th featuring music for female voices, the Music on the Terrace Series featuring the Churchlands SHS choir in Rising Stars on the 10th and Voyces’ teaming up with Rachelle Durkin for Tundra on the 16th.
Adam Pinto will feature with the University of WA orchestra on the 13th performing Smalley’s Piano Concerto, and that week WAAPA’s Defying Gravity percussion ensemble will celebrate its 30th birthday with concerts on the 14-16th.
On the 17th Dominic Perissinotti will give a recital on the organ at St Patrick’s Basilica and on the 23rd St George’s Cathedral will host the Perth Symphony Orchestra for the popular Baroque by Candlelight. Also on the 23rd the Perth Symphonic Chorus will perform Brahms’ German Requiem at the Perth Concert Hall with soprano Sara Macliver.
A strange phenomenon known as The Legend of Zelda starts a national tour Perth on the 24th with Jessica Gethin and the Perth Symphony Orchestra providing the music. The concert involves a performance of the symphonic soundtrack from the Nintendo game, accompanied by a digital collage of scenes from the game.
On the 30th Musica Viva will return to town with cellist Nicolas Alstaedt, pianist Aleksandar Madzar and preconcert talk by yours truly!
And for those of us with kids, a few ideas for the school holidays:
Spare Parts puppet theatre will give the world premiere of Rules of Summer, a show based on Shuan Tan’s book. The season opens on the 23rd and runs for the school holidays and is recommended for ages 5+. WASO will run the interactive kids concerts Jump Jam and Jiggle! from 28th-30th featuring music from The Planets.
Noted 