“This is one of the best Bohèmes I have heard in recent years… Anyone who has heard Beecham or Karajan’s recordings of Bohème will know that, like all great opera, the starting point is an exceptional conductor. Here we get one with Dionysis Grammenos, whose command of Puccini’s idiom is impressive.”
The Daily Mail (David Mellor), 2022
“In the pit, conductor Dionysis Grammenos draws animated, richly coloured playing from the 27- strong orchestra, providing plenty of Puccinian perfume and punch, but a welcome clarity and freshness too.”
The Stage (Claire Seymour), 2022
“Puccini’s way of sweeping the listener straight up with youthful high spirits, wistfulness and the bustle of Bohemian Paris can render much else redundant. Dionysis Grammenos’ firm and flexible conducting establishes that clear enough.”
The Telegraph (John Allison), 2022
“Under conductor Dionysis Grammenos the orchestra achieves a pleasing transparency while not skimping on the occasional blatancy that Puccini demands.”
Evening Standard (Nick Kimberley), 2022
“[her] flawless tone and virtuoso technique shone. She can play piano and the accompanying musicians follow her.”
Saarbrücker Zeitung, March 2020
Read More“This was a concert taken over last minute by the Bulgarian conductor Rossen Gergov, who replaced the indisposed Robin Ticciati with complete assurance and individuality. His readings of the Dvořák dances were subtle and dynamic, fuelled by an innate understanding of the music’s folk-infused rhythms and its fizzing, fragrant colours.”
The Scotsman (Ken Walton)
Read More“The conductor drew a performance brimming with vitality… [The] orchestra made a huge contribution to the vivacity and atmosphere of the performance under the baton of Rossen Gergov who displayed an instinctive feeling for Offenbach’s score.”
Opera (Margaret Davies)
Read More“Rossen Gergov adopted a sensible tempo, offering articulated phrasing in his fresh and vibrant version of Schubert’s Tragic Symphony”
La Nueva España
Read More“The abundance of joy in their playing was clear in both concerts. All three members did not tinker with the fine delicacy of articulation that is a hallmark of their work.”
South China Morning Post (Christopher Halls), November 2019
Read More“Sonorous and lush, stormy urgency and gripping, (Jacek Kaspszyk) makes his debut at the helm of the Hamburger Symphoniker, tackling the secret "fifth" symphony of Brahms. The Hamburg orchestra musicians revel threw themselves in the voluptuousness of the sound. The Hungarian "Gypsy" style of the finale is a real pleasure for both the listener and the players alike. Jacek Kaspszyk lets the orchestra off the leash to unbridled emotions. From the melancholic strains, to dance-like rhythms and the nod to folklore: a pure delight.”
Die Welt (Peter Krause), 29 October 2019
“Holly Mathieson’s beautifully configured orchestra delivers the audience a fine bonus, being right up there with its dramatic timing and wall-to-wall atmosphere. At the same time it creates a Bernard Herrmann-like pace and drive while supporting rather than dominating the singers who have a finely grained story to tell. Its presence is as evanescent as Quint’s.”
Theatreview NZ (Dave Smith), October 2019 (Opera New Zealand, The Turn of the Screw)
Read More“There are few concertos that test the full range of a violinist’s artistry the way the Szymanowski does—and there are few violinists who ace that test with the subtle confidence of Elina Vähälä. Whether she’s singing out the music’s stratospheric lyricism, deftly navigating its mercurial shifts in emotional terrain, teasing out its subtle timbral demands, harnessing its long range rhetoric, knocking out the motoric Stravinsky-isms, or keeping the phrases from sagging under the weight of their florid ornamentation, Vähälä has the measure of this endlessly intricate score—as well as the technical brilliance necessary to toss it off without strain.”
Fanfare Magazine (Peter J. Rabinowitz), July/August 2019
Read More“With the APO, the Grieg concerto gave the Italian pianist the opportunity to combine crispness with poetry, effortlessly moving from impeccably chiselled minor to yearning major, in response to eloquently pleading cellos. The cadenza journeyed from rapturous nocturne to leonine roars and after, the adagio allowed Bax further exquisite dialogue with orchestral colleagues; the finale had the unbridled swing of a folk dance in which all were merry participants. A seat in the circle was an advantage at encore time, watching Bax play a Scriabin prelude using just one hand, with a richness of tone that you might have thought was coming from two.”
New Zealand Herald (William Dart), April 2019
Read More“Alessio Bax is a musician who oozes grace and class, both in his stage manner and in his playing.He is capable of great delicacy, as in his handling of the airy birdsong at the top of the keyboard in Liszt’s St Francoise d’Assise: Lapredication aux oiseaux attests, as well as power and muscle, shown to thrilling effect in the same composer’s sonata Apres une Lecture de Dante which followed and closed the evening. After the Liszt pieces in the second half brought the house down, Bax gave two encores to set the seal of this special recital.“
Sydney Daily Telegraph (Steve Moffatt), 26 March 2019
Read More“Making his BSO debut, Bax gave the Mozart concerto a brisk, even-keeled treatment, and orchestra matched soloist in character. [..]Bax’sperformance was built on a foundation of understated grace, moderate dynamic shifts, and easy flow between statements”
Boston Globe (Zoë Madonna), January 2019
Read More“The most exciting debutin recent memory. An elegant pianist, he (Bax) approached every phrase with a singing tone, yet he displayed plenty of fire in the powerhouse passages. (…) Listeners were on their feet, demanding bow after bow from the soloist.”
Cincinnati Enquirer (Janelle Gelfand), April 2017
Read More“Conductor Jacek Kaspszyk managed to release energies out of Sinfonia Lahti, that you do not often hear. [...] He created an atmosphere, which results from great musicality and understanding [and] enhanced the rich and colourful chord structure in a very spontaneous and natural way, whilst also maintaining a balanced sound in the climaxes.”
Etelä-Suomen Sanomat, 18 March 2017
Read More“The Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra was the headline act in Davies Symphony Hall on Sunday, Nov. 6, and there was no denying the vibrancy and flair of the orchestra’s playing under Music Director Jacek Kaspszyk [...] After intermission, Kaspszyk led a performance of Brahms’ First Symphony that was at once robust and refined. It boasted plenty of rhythmic momentum in the opening movement (where Kaspszyk won my heart by taking the repeat, always the sign of a conductor who knows his trade), as well as gracefully translucent textures in the slow movement. The encore was a brisk and vividly colored account of Leonard Bernstein’s “Candide” Overture — a surprising and frankly flattering tribute from a touring orchestra to its host country. It was a delightful close to an all-around rewarding evening.”
San Francisco Chronicle, 7 November 2016
Read More“Schubert's Third Symphony was pure magic in Kaspszyk's hands. It never lost sight for one moment of the quintessential melodiousness that is the composer's hallmark. But to the Poles' light-footed and well-sprung presentation, Kaspszyk added another ingredient: Beethovenian weight. It gave the symphony an unusual solidity, firming up the delight.”
The Herald Scotland, May 2015
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