“Matthew Halls scored a triumph”
“…the results were profoundly inspired revelations of Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony…Halls had a tall order placed before him and he didn’t flinch…the highlight of the night was Halls’ masterstroke of bringing the third, fourth and fifth movements together in an undifferentiated hymn to contemplation, of life and death, of meaning and mortality, and ultimately, of the […]
Butterfield’s “clarion tenor”
“Of course, the opening funereal measures of the Requiem had a sobering effect, but even here, Mozart did not neglect the element of theatricality. Dashon Burton’s thundering basso in “Tuba mirum” was a stunner, followed by Butterfield’s clarion tenor, Atkinson’s silky mezzo, and Colton’s sweet and airy soprano — in fact an entire progression of […]
LA Times: “Handel’s ‘Saul,’ not the ‘Messiah,’ with Nicholas McGegan in his element”
“Four years after “Saul,” Handel and the same librettist, Charles Jennens, would go on to produce that first true, most famous and still most lasting of all oratorios, meant for Easter (even if appropriated by Christmas). Instead Nicholas McGegan, the longtime music director of the Berkeley-based period instrument ensemble and as fine a “Messiah” master […]
Handel’s ‘Saul’ gets “heroic treatment” by McGegan, Van Doren & Panthaki
“Saturday’s performance, which repeats Friday in San Francisco and Saturday in Palo Alto to close Philharmonia’s 38th season, found McGegan and ensemble in top form, powering through the two hour, 50-minute score with brisk, unflagging energy…Robust bass-baritone Daniel Okulitch thundered appropriately, relishing every moments of Saul’s badness, and sopranos Sherezade Panthaki (Michal) and Yulia Van […]
Tulsa Symphony “executed clarity and precision under…Halls”
“The Tulsa Symphony’s performance was…full of all the rambunctious spirit of its trickster’s namesake, yet executed with clarity and precision under the direction of guest conductor Matthew Halls. Halls, making his debut with the orchestra, did not use a baton, instead guiding the ensemble with economical yet expressive gestures to which the players responded with […]
McGegan, Van Doren, and Panthaki in an “expansive” Saul
“McGegan’s leadership brought out the score’s color and vibrancy. Not even the peevish Saul himself could have begrudged the performers their success…Soprano Sherezade Panthaki brought her trademark clarity and tonal sensuality to the role of Michal…Yulia Van Doren (Merab) and tenor Aaron Sheehan (Jonathan) acquitted themselves handsomel” -Read more at SF Datebook.
Williams was “as godly in appearance as he was vocally”
“Among the supporting roles, the most striking impression was made by bass-baritone Douglas Williams as Neptune. I can’t think of another Idomeneo production that manages to turn Neptune into a starring role, given he has only two minutes of music in the three-hour opera. Williams proved that he’s as godly in appearance – barechested and […]
Molomot and Vinokour shine in Florentine Opera’s ‘Poppea’
“Molomot was an Arnalta who upheld Seventeenth-Century conventions but set a standard of his own in the rôle…Arnalta’s lullaby for Poppea, ‘Oblivion soave,’ is one of the most exquisite pieces in Seventeenth-Century opera, and Molomot sang it with piercing expressivity that so entranced the audience that merely breathing seemed to disturb the scene’s serenity…Cuing singers […]
Butterfield is “perfectly cast” with Calgary Phil
“Benjamin Butterfield, perfectly cast for the lyric tenor part, offered memorable performances of If With All Your Hearts and Then Shall the Righteous Shine Forth, both arias tenor favourites the world over. Always a musical and intelligent singer, he is, understandably a favourite with Calgarians.” -Read more at Calgary Herald.
Gramophone: Bringing a lost concerto back to life
“Nicholas McGegan was a joy to work with and the SCO performed with such brio. When I listen to the disc now, it reminds me vividly of the warmth and dynamism of the sessions. Promoters still seem reluctant to programme Mysliveček, but I hope that as he becomes better known this will change. I, at […]
