Reviews
Mahler - Symphony No.8
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Vasily PetrenkoRoyal Albert Hall, London
'Of the half-dozen Mahler Eighth's I have heard in concert, Tennstedt, Solti and Chailly stand out. Today's was a performance in that elevated class, maybe even a bit more. A Mahler Eighth and a half.'
Norman Lebrecht - Slipped Disc, 23 October 2022
'A Mahler mega-work blazes to life.'
Rebecca Franks - The Times, 24 October 2022
'The choral singing...was massive and glorious'
Andrew Clements - The Guardian, 24 October 2022
'But the performance belonged to the chorus, transfixing in full spate but most memorable in the pianissimo it spun for the final entry.'
Alexandra Coghlan, The Tablet, 5 November 2022
Fiona Maddocks's 10 best concerts and operas of 2022 - 'a reminder of the unmatched excitement of concerts on an epic scale'
Fiona Maddocks - The Guardian, 17 December 2022
Mahler - Symphony No.2 'Resurrection'
Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Santtu-Mathias RouvaliRoyal Festival Hall, London
The chorus was marvellous, the pianissimo words crystal-clear, the German 'schhhh' sounds like puffs of air elevating Mahler's huge structure away from the gravity of the here and now to another realm.
Peter Reed - www.colinscolumn.com, 9 June 2022
This was a hugely impressive performance that seemed to shake the very foundations of the Royal Festival Hall...(the choir's) impeccable intonation and scrupulous attention to dynamics made it as impressive as it could be - it was as if time stood still. The Philharmonia Chorus's contribution was outstanding - thanks to chorus master's Gavin Carr's expert tutelage.
Keith McDonnell, www.musicomh.com, 13 June 2022
And the Philharmonia Chorus were superlative, pressing forward and with the tempo unconstrained so the effect of their singing so wonderfully articulated with the rainbow of basses stretching across to sopranos became a drama within the performance.
Marc Bridle, www.operatoday.com, June 2022
Britten - War Requiem
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Vasily PetrenkoRoyal Albert Hall, London
'The performance was clearly prepared by conductor Vasily Petrenko and the performers with a care and love that aren't always evident in London's crowded orchestral scene. The Philharmonia Chorus were unfailingly eloquent, whether in the agonised, lost-sounding plea of the Quid sum miser or the tender Lacrimosa, where the choral chant was intertwined with soprano Lyubov Petrova's plaintive descents.'
Ivan Hewitt - The Telegraph, 27 May 2022
Elgar - The Dream of Gerontius
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Vasily PetrenkoRoyal Albert Hall, London
'The Philharmonia Chorus, ranged across the top of the platform, was superb in diction, sonority, accuracy and engagement. Their soft singing had a tangible presence despite their great distance from most of the audience. They made an infernal bunch of demons, encouraged by their impish Lord of Misrule, Petrenko. The conductor paced his tension-filled approach to "Praise to the Holiest in the height" so that it burst forth in splendour, and then cued every subsequent choral entry with a stab to the relevant section, each one in the coda growing ever more fervent. Such rousing singing, playing, and conducting, not least from the mighty RAH organ (Richard Pearce in the loft) led to one of those "we don't know if we should clap here but some of us really want to" from some audience members.'
Roy Westbrook, www.bachtrack.com, 8 April 2022