We do have
a great advantage over any recent host city of the Games," insists festival
director Leo Schofield, "and that is just that building on Bennelong Point."
Indeed, whatever quibbles you might have with the Opera House's acoustics or
the dinginess of its orchestral pit, Utzon's poetic sails provide a charged
and sacred space for musicians. As the Australian Chamber Orchestra's artistic
director and lead violinist Richard Tognetti points out, "There's a certain
gladiatorial aspect to it."
Taking center
stage there during the Games will be 23-year-old Australian guitar virtuoso
Slava Grigoryan. His recitals next month with the ACO might be up against the
gymnastics finals, but Grigoryan's long fingers are just as flexible as a beam
artist. The Kazakhstan-born, Melbourne-raised musician combines technical mastery
with warmth and the spirit of youth. Tognetti praises his "sensuous style. He's
a very organic sort of player."
So is his
repertoire. Since being signed by Sony Classical at age 18, Grigoryan has segued
from flamenco and Argentine tango to Brazilian bossa nova and jazz fusion, to
a new transcription of Tchaikovsky's The Seasons, which he's now recording.
He's played the hallowed halls of Carnegie and Wigmore, but he's also at home
in Sydney's smoky Basement or a womad festival in Reading, England. "Whether
he's got his guitar plugged through a sound system or he's sitting down in a
string quartet, Slava has a fantastic ability to absorb the spirit of a work,
and to transport the audience into a sound world," says Australian composer
Nigel Westlake, whose new guitar concerto Grigoryan will premiere at the Opera
House, "and that's a rare and exciting gift."
Despite this,
some purists have grumbled that it's all been too much, too soon for Grigoryan.
Certainly his angelic looks are a dream for Sony marketers; he even posed nude
for a Sydney coffee-table magazine. But such are the ropes for a modern classical
star. "There's more than one side to this business," he acknowledges, "and if
you want the opportunity to play live, you have to let the public know about
it. You can't just send telepathic waves to all your audience members and get
them to come to your show. You have to make a bit of an announcement." His talent
does the rest.
C
O V E R COVER: Why Marry
When You Can Stay Single?
Once, women who were still "on the shelf" at 35 resigned themselves
to a life of bleak solitude. For today's young women, staying single seems
not only bearable but increasingly desirable.
Mom
on her own: Deciding to have a child is one thing. Raising
one is another
A
S I A THE
PHILIPPINES: Web of Frustration
As one group of hostages nears freedom, a new hostage is taken
E
U R O P E FRANCE:
Jospin's Minefield
Protests and a walkout put the Prime Minister on the defensive
A
F RI C A SOUTH
AFRICA:
A Fistful of Troubles
President Thabo Mbeki discusses the continent's challenges
U
S A CAMPAIGN 2000:
Can Dubya Get Serious?
As Gore surges, Bush has to prove he can compete on the issues
S
PO R T ATHLETICS:
Meet Mrs. Jones
America's queen of track and field is ready for her close-up
T
H E A R T S BOOKS:
Screenwriter Joe Eszterhas spins his own version of the story of Bill
and Monica and Ken and Linda CINEMA:
Richard Corliss goes on a film bender in Toronto MUSIC:
Elastica ends a five-year silence with The Menace
