The Perth Symphony Orchestra goes from strength to strength. We were back in front of the dynamic ensemble the other night for Mozart by Candlelight at the Concert Hall.
To our surprise, it was the first time the PSO had performed at the PCH, it being the traditional home of WASO.
What a night! The stage and musicians were bathed in golden candlelight and the PSO did justice to the works by the Salzburg wunderkind and other composers. Review herein.
Eurythmics fans will be chuffed to hear the PSO is staging a concert called Sweet Dreaming celebrating the works of Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart at HBF Stadium, Thursday 3 December. Check out www.perthsymphony.com for info and bookings.
We made the requisite pre-summer hordes odyssey to Rottnest the other day, spending a pleasant week on the fair isle.
Recent efforts to infuse The Rock with a degree of sophistication and luxury are slowly bearing fruit. The new Samphire Rottnest retreat next to the Quokka Arms is one such venture and is looking suitably Cabo San Lucas circa 1995, if that’s what tickles your tootsies.
We wobbled past the courtyard on our treadlies and spotted patrons sipping daiquiris and GTs on snazzy furnie in a patch of dazzling white imported sand.
The real sands of Thomson Bay lie about three metres away, looking far more inviting and bona fide.
It’s a far cry from the old days in the same locale. I recall my dear old dad telling me tales of the late 40’s and how he and RAAF pals would tumble out of the pub and sleep on the same spot in the silk parachutes they brought back from the Big Show. In latter decades I myself recall locating the nearest overturned dinghy beneath the stars and curling up in crackling sun-dried seaweed for a ménage a trois with the sand lice and dugites.
But fear not, the jubilee twists, Basin, Pinky’s Beach, pints at the pub, Moreton Bay figs, jetty fishing, mini golf, dodgy quiz nights, preening peacocks, squawking crows, smell of barbecuing snags, wind in the tea-trees, old bungalows and cottages, and laid-back, shabby vibe all endure.
Even the quokkas, now fuzzy international tourism A-listers with Photoshopped grins, remain unaffected by their spanking new celebrity, and faithfully lick salty shins under tables for a cut of ya soggy ham and cheese roll. But best of all, you can still pedal off and discover a dazzling deserted bay, become the only souls on earth by a cerulean sea, and find nirvana under the southern sun.
This edition also has a few excerpts from new book, Humans, a wonderful photographic tome by Brandon Stanton, the author of Humans of New York. Homo sapiens are featured from many cultures and lands. A great read.
We popped into the launch of the Black Swan State Theatre Company’s 2021 line-up at the Octagon Theatre this week. It has of course been a quiet year in theatre due to the pandemic, but the productions coming up next year look set to put sizzle back into WA theatre. Eight plays are planned and all look like they are well worth seeing. For more info and bookings go to: www.bsstc.com.au
Freo was also calling and we popped into the launch of the annual MAANZ exhibition at the Kidogo Arthouse, Bather’s Beach. This is a super kaleidoscope of mosaic works from the artists of the Mosaic Asociation of Australia & NZ. Well worth a squizz if you are in the Port City – its dazzlingly creative stuff!
Margot has been at the movies and reviewed Summerland, one of a spiffing line up from the British Film Festival (running until 29 November in town); and also Radioactive, the story of Madame Curie, whose work in the understanding of radioactive elements won her the Nobel Prize in 1903 – all of which came at price, of course.
Hopping from X-rays to baking trays, we also have a recipe from Bill Granger’s new book, Australian Food. Perhaps no pot-slinger has done more for promoting Australian produce and cuisine on the international stage. BG now has 19 restaurants in top spots around the world. His green herb risotto with summer salad (recipe within) is perfecto for the warming weather here in Terra Australis.
Peter and Jacqui
