Andris Nelsons
This recording is the first of a partial Shostakovich cycle Andris Nelsons and the BSO are embarking upon.
There was new music, of which Nelsons’s an uncommonly gifted interpreter; old music that mostly sounded lively; and a big, loud, late-Romantic warhorse that let him and the BSO show off.
Saturday’s was the most electrifying, exciting, spontaneous-sounding, inevitable performance of this warhorse (Beethoven’s Violin Concerto) I’ve heard.
Ascending Light is, by far, the most serious orchestral score of Gandolfi’s I’ve heard and it succeeds to a considerable extent thanks to its expressive honesty.
The main takeaway from this first BSO album under new music director Andris Nelsons is the excellent, exciting Sibelius performance.
It’s fun to recall what’s been played locally since January and be reminded just how rich the greater Boston area’s classical music scene really is.
This was was a truly memorable afternoon at Symphony Hall, filled with interesting programming decisions and exciting revelations.
Saturday’s attendance hopefully warms the hearts of the BSO’s management. Not only was the house very full, but the assembly also included a healthy proportion of younger heads.
The BSO played with palpable enthusiasm. Andris Nelsons conducted with characteristic energy. There was, by the end of the evening, certainly, quite a bit about which to be happy.
Classical Music Commentary: On Andris Nelsons’ First Season in Boston and a Look Ahead at 2015-16
By the end of Andris Nelsons’s inaugural season he had the BSO playing with lots of energy and like they really care, night in and out.
Read More about Classical Music Commentary: On Andris Nelsons’ First Season in Boston and a Look Ahead at 2015-16