Archives de l’auteur : Derek Ho
Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 13 at Prague Spring
The Prague Philharmonic and Kühn choirs just might have stolen the show with their power, clear diction, and their ability to conjure up countless shades of color. There are certainly many ...
Sakari Oramo in Elgar’s Symphony No. 2
Sakari Oramo did not hesitate in bringing Elgar's unabashedly passionate and emotional elements to the fore. During his tenure as principal conductor of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra (RSPO), Sakari Oramo ...
Tout est clair avec Christian Lindberg dans la 14e d’Allan Pettersson
Cette nouvelle livraison de la série des symphonies d'Allan Pettersson par Christian Lindberg impressionne encore une fois par la fidélité fanatique à la partition et l'attention obsessionnelle aux détails. Lentement mais ...
Broadly : Kent Nagano in Bruckner’s Symphony No. 8
Nagano's performance of Bruckner's Symphony No. 8, while abundant in individual highlights, was not quite a fully convincing interpretation of this massive work. Anton Bruckner is arguably the perfect example of ...
Exploring the depths : Osmo Vänskä in Sibelius’ Symphony No. 4
Osmo Vänskä is unrivaled in his ability (and willingness) to explore the deepest depths of Sibelius' Symphony No. 4. Osmo Vänskä earned himself and his former band (the Lahti Symphony Orchestra) international recognition ...
Truls Mørk’s noble Schelomo with the Helsinki Philharmonic
Truls Mørk brought nobility to Schelomo's lamenting qualities. The current, inaugural season of Susanna Mälkki's tenure as music director of the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra (HKO) is focused considerably on 20th-century French orchestral music, which ...
Herbert Blomstedt in Sibelius and Beethoven
This was undoubtedly one of the great performances of Sibelius' Symphony No. 4. Herbert Blomstedt is approaching his 90th birthday and is showing no signs of slowing down. A quick look at his ...
Everything in clear focus: Christian Lindberg in Allan Pettersson’s Symphony No. 14
This new release in the series of Allan Pettersson's symphonies by Christian Lindberg impresses once again by fanatical fidelity to the score and obsessive attention to detail. Slowly but surely, Christian Lindberg ...
Details and the big picture: Christian Lindberg in Pettersson’s Symphony No. 5
In Petterson’s Symphony No. 5, Lindberg shaped and controlled the latent tension so effectively that the music felt deeply oppressive, almost suffocating in its intensity. Patience is definitely a virtue with ...
Susanna Mälkki and the Helsinki Philharmonic in Mahler’s Symphony No. 6
Throughout the first movement of Mahler's Symphony No. 6, careful attention was given to accents, articulations, and dynamics, along with a clear focus on orchestrational detail. Susanna Mälkki's recent performances with ...
All-British with the Tapiola Sinfonietta and Janne Nisonen
After Sakari Oramo, Janne Nisonen could very well be the next great Finnish interpreter of British music. Orchestral programs dedicated entirely to British music are rare in the Helsinki region, so ...
Focus on Shakespeare : The Tempest by Osmo Vänskä in Helsinki
The performance of The Tempest by Osmo Vänskä and the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra was a true celebration of some of Sibelius' most forward-looking music. The work of Shakespeare and his influence ...
Death and Transcendencev : Robert Spano and the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra
Robert Spano led a taut and disciplined performance of Rachmaninoff's Isle of the Dead. The subjects of death and the beyond have certainly fascinated many artists, both past and present. Among composers, ...
Christian Lindberg engagé et en confiance pour la 7e de Pettersson
Sous la direction de Christian Lindberg, la massive Symphonie n°7 d'Allan Pettersson semblait former une arche ininterrompue. Le concert voyait également la création mondiale de la Symphonie n°17, 36 ans ...
Commitment and confidence: Lindberg and Pettersson’s Symphony No. 7
Under Lindberg's direction, Pettersson's massive Symphony No. 7 seemed like a single, unbroken arch. This perfomance also featured the world premiere of the unfinished Symphony n°17, 36 years after its composition. In recent ...
Sir Mark Elder in Britten and Shostakovich
Elder's performance of Britten's Sinfonia da Requiem could become a reference. There may not be many obvious stylistic similarities between the orchestral works of Benjamin Britten and Dmitri Shostakovich. Nevertheless, both composers sought ...
The Estonian National Symphony celebrates Gubaidulina
The Estonian National Symphony Orchestra performed two major works by Sofia Gubaidulina, in honor of the composer's 85th birthday. In the year 2016, Sofia Gubaidulina, one of the world’s greatest living ...
Susanna Mälkki’s opening concert as Music Director of the Helsinki Philharmonic
Perhaps the most memorable part of this evening was the palpable sense of joy that was radiating from the stage. Readers of my reviews from Susanna Mälkki’s recent concerts with the ...
Salonen brings Chéreau’s Elektra to Helsinki
Soprano Evelyn Herlitzius brought the necessary vocal agility and endurance to this impossibly demanding role. Opera lovers in Finland have been eagerly waiting for Esa-Pekka Salonen to bring Patrice Chéreau's now famous ...
Susanna Mälkki conducts the Helsinki Philharmonic in Sibelius and Prokofiev
Susanna Mälkki's recent programs with her future band, the Helsinki Philharmonic, have featured healthy portions of standard repertory. This is probably reassuring to the segment of the audience that might be ...
Olari Elts conducts Ravel and Tüür
Frank Braley's performance was completely natural, effortless, and thoroughly integrated with both his musical and pianistic philosophy. The music of the Estonian composer Erkki-Sven Tüür is often performed in Helsinki, largely ...
Christian Lindberg brings Pettersson to Antwerp
The Royal Flemish Philharmonic brought a palpable sense of commitment and confidence to Petterson’s music. In recent seasons Christian Lindberg has enjoyed a regular and fruitful collaboration with the Royal Flemish ...
Mikko Franck at home in Rautavaara, Prokofiev, and Debussy
I cannot imagine a better, more definitive performance of this music. Despite Mikko Franck's presence in the Helsinki music scene as both artistic and general director of the Finnish National Opera ...
James Feddeck, conductor
"There is no replacement for reaching out and taking time to create lifelong connections to the arts." Winner of the Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award in 2013, James Feddeck has held ...
Happy 150th birthday, Jean Sibelius!
Without a doubt, this was one of the great En Saga performances. It has certainly been a busy year for Finland’s favorite musical son. Although Sibelius’ is a regular fixture in the ...
Finnish Independence Day Concert, edition 2015
Under Lintu's direction, the Finnish RSO played with their usual discipline and attention to detail. The annual Finnish Independence Day concert in the Helsinki Music Center is one of the major ...
Le Projet Allan Pettersson continue avec la Symphonie 14
Jouer la musique d'Allan Pettersson à la fois avec passion et conviction est vraiment une réussite majeure, et l'Orchestre symphonique de Norrköping sous la direction de Lindberg y parvient encore une ...
The Pettersson project continues: Christian Lindberg and the Norrköping Symphony
To play this music both passionately and convincingly is truly a massive achievement, and the Norrköping band under Lindberg’s direction have done it yet again. One could argue that there are ...
