Tuesday, November 18, 2008

TICKETS TO GERONTIUS


The Sydney Symphony Orchestra is offering last tickets to Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius (Wednesday 19, Thursday 20) for $35, a considerable discount, only available by calling their Box Office (9-5) 8215 4600.

Their website suggests that Wednesday is sold out.

The excellent podcast by David Garrett, a look at Elgar by Genevieve Lang, and the full programme notes with libretto are also available.

Askenazy has assembled a cast unlikely to be heard together here again, and Lilli Paasikivi, whom I've been fortunate to hear before (Fricka and Mahler 3) is alone worth the visit. $35 is a lot easier than a trip to Europe.

The text leaves no doubt that Cardinal Newman had the insight gained from a revelatory experience, that holy instant. We can only hope that in Askenazy's hands, the orchestra and these singers bring us closer to one.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

So did you go a second time? I couldn't partly just out of inability to organize it but also because I would have been too tired and I didn't want a let-down on the second pass.

Of course, it wasn't booked out - merely unavailable for internet booking. They close the internet booking some time before the performance, and the SSO itself generally gives up its tickets by some time in the middle of the day of the performance.

Having said that, when will local internet booking sites provide the functionality which you get in London for at least some venues, where you are shown and can pick from the available seats? At present, the inability to do that (and the stupidity or rather, laziness of the programming of the "best available seat" robot) generally makes internet booking impractical.

wanderer said...

M, no I couldn't make it a second time, more's the pity. I'd have gone again for Lilli Passikivi; for me she was magnificent. Bring on the CD. I'll rant about it over the weekend.

Agreed about self seating, especially when you know the venue, especially when you are going more than once, often for different reasons.

Where did you sit?

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