Classical Music & Mum

Our classical music specialist Kate Rockstrom shares her top picks for Mother's Day.

question_mark_DB 'Oh no! It's Mother's Day again! Oh bother, bother!' I hear you cry and, following that, the most common complaint: 'My mother is impossible to buy for!' I'm here to tell you that no matter who your mother is, or what she's like, there is something in the classical music world that she will love. Here's a few of my top picks of the new releases.

Ballet & Opera: large_lakme Sometimes it's just nice to curl up on the couch and watch something spectacular. The Paris Opera Ballet have released a box set of four different productions, so you can watch an act and come back later or sit down ... read more


DSC03038 540x361 HOT: The Wonders of Ancient Mesopotamia, Melbourne Museum, Nicholson Street, Carlton

I lived in London for years and although I liked to visit the British Museum regularly I think I saw about 1/1000th of their vast collection. So I was quite excited to hear that a slice of the museum’s Middle East artefact collection was coming to Melbourne for the Melbourne Museum‘s winter exhibition for 2012, The Wonders of Ancient Mesopotamia.

My knowledge of ancient history is sketchy and I had to dig back into my primary school projects to remember where Mesopotamia actually was. ... read more


Namaste

I was on the search for suitable pre-comedy show eats down the Trades Hall end of Lygon Street and was in a bit of a bind, being that I’m generally not all that up on restaurants in Carlton that aren’t within walking distance of the Nova Cinema (priorities). So I threw a question out on the Twitters in order to try and narrow down to a couple of vegie-friendly suggestions, and those good folks at Where’s the Beef kindly put forward three likely candidates: Hotel Lincoln, Ying Thai 2 and Namaste.

Ultimately the dining destination was in the hands of Rob, who was joining me for dinner and comedy times. As it was Passover, or “no bread for Jews ... read more


Monday 21 May 2012 at 6:30pm

Readings Carlton: 309 Lygon St, Carlton, Victoria, 3053

Julian Burnside QC will launch Alien Shores - an anthology of short stories by writers from Australia and the Indian Subcontinent on refugees and asylum seekers, released by Brass Monkey Books.

Powerful, poignant and sometimes funny, these are the tales of brave people who, at great peril to their own safety, seek out a new life in a new land.

Contributors include Deepa Agarwal, Jamil Ahmad, Ali Alizadeh, Meenakshi Bharat, Michelle Cahill, Susanne Gervay, Amitav Ghosh, Adbul Karim Hekmat, Linda Jaivin, Tabish Khair, Anu Kumar, Andrew Y M Kwong, Julia Mackay-Koelen, Sophie Masson, Joginder Paul, Sharon Rundle, Sujata Sankranti, Bijoya Sawian and Arnold Zable.

Free, no need to book.


HOT: Esposito, 162 Elgin St, Carlton

P1090661 360x540 HOT: Esposito, 162 Elgin St, Carlton

In a recent article in the New York Times, a journo went in search of a fun Melbourne weekend for $100.

The author noted that while I am privileged to live the most livable city in the world, Melbourne is also one of the world’s most expensive cities  (Japan, Switzerland, then Australia rank highly. Gulp.).

Which is why it’s always good to be able to spot a bargain in this town. And in the article the writer noted that we have some great bargains when it comes to food.

While there’s always the option of cheap Vietnamese and ... read more


APRIL 22th 2012 brings the third instalment of ODIOUS PEGBOARD, a series of fortnightly Sunday afternoon free sound gigs at Tape Projects. These shows drawn upon some of the most reclusive of Melbourne based sound makers. Most of those involved play very rarely, some leaving their bedrooms only to feed their cats or to collect more rubbish from the streets. Here is you chance to hear them make some sounds for your listening pleasure!ODIOUS PEGBOARD #3 - Xtroq (Darebin Distortion, Object manipulation and RF processing) + Moffarfarrah (Voice & tape upholstery for your mental furniture) + Egarim (River streaming through echoing mountain forests of beaming light) ... read more

Thursday 19 April 2012 at 10:30pm

Readings Carlton: 309 Lygon St, Carlton, Victoria, 3053

Drop into Readings Carlton for Story Time, every Thursday, from 10.30am to 11.00am.

For children aged 2 – 5 year old. Free event, no need to book.

Please note: This is not a child-minding service. We ask that parents stay with their children for the reading. To find out more please call us on (03) 9347 6633.


Thursday 26 April 2012 at 10:30am

Readings Carlton: 309 Lygon St, Carlton, Victoria, 3053

Drop into Readings Carlton for Story Time, every Thursday, from 10.30am to 11.00am.

For children aged 2 – 5 year old. Free event, no need to book.

Please note: This is not a child-minding service. We ask that parents stay with their children for the reading. To find out more please call us on (03) 9347 6633.