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The biggest musical takeaway was the sheer brilliance of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra’s playing, which is the gold standard.
My snoring neighbor left during intermission (he was roused a bit when the musical vigor picked up in the finale of the Mozart).
Taken together, this is a release that showcases both the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra and its chief conductor – as well as their repertoire choices – in a brilliant light.
The Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal programs a lot of new music but that is not the point.
This was a stirring, thought-provoking, and, ultimately, moving reading of Shostakovich’s Seventh Symphony.
Early promise, enduring vision, and a lifetime of well-timed reinvention.
Andris Nelsons’s conception of Strauss’s Tod und Verklärung was impressive, marked by strong contrasts of character, flexibility of phrasing, and a commendable grasp of musical space.
Handel & Haydn Society captured all of this and then some with a vigorous, focused performance that was a marvel of controlled fury.
Pianist Jean-Efflam Bavouzet delivers some fine Mozart; conductor Hannu Lintu brings rhythmic energy and textural transparency to the music of Witold Lutoslawski; Ludovic Morlot and the Seattle Symphony Orchestra don’t do right by Berlioz.
Classical Critic’s Notebook: Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2
Whatever Rachmaninoff’s conflicted feelings about writing symphonies were, there’s nothing ambiguous about the content of his Second Symphony. From start to finish, it’s a marvel of melodic freshness and brilliant instrumentation.
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