John Shand | Music & Other Spheres Posts

October 15, 2015 / Album Reviews - Archive

Crème de la Crème (Silvox) This album may surprise the many admirers that Belgian singer Micheline Van Hautem has attracted across her numerous Australian tours. Best known as a superlative interpreter of Brel, Van Hautem here ranges across quite startlingly diverse material: try Wild Is The Wind and Moon River…

October 12, 2015 / Concert Reviews - Archive

Springwood Presbyterian Hall, October 3 It happens in all art forms, from the ostensibly dubiously-cast actor who ends up stealing the show to the feted children’s author who suddenly turns to soft-core erotica. Improbability especially thrives in music, where massed kazoos can play Led Zeppelin songs or Prrim’s instrumentation can…

October 9, 2015 / Concert Reviews - Archive

Verbrugghen Hall, October 1 This sort of thing can change lives, turning wannabe musicians into the real thing. Robert Burke and Paul Grabowsky have been blessing the students at Monash University’s Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music by commissioning major works and facilitating collaborations between the Monash Art Ensemble (MAE)…