BBC PROMS: HAYDN'S THE SEASONS
The Financial Times (Richard Fairman)
“Thunder rumbled in the timpani, winds raged through the strings and the orchestra and chorus of the Handel and Haydn Society of Boston rallied to support [Norrington] with a tempest of decibels that belied their relatively modest numbers.”
"The Boston choir does not have the perfectly blended sound that the top small professional English choirs do but in its place are stronger colours and contrasts, in their own way a sign of no less high standards on the other side of the Atlantic."
"[The Handel and Haydn Society] is ranked as the country's standard-bearer in the league of period instruments."
The Independent (Edward Seckerson)
“The colouristic effects were in the best possible hands, with the Boston period band full of vim and vigour."
The Telegraph (Geoffrey Norris)
“Haydn's ingenuity was matched by the way Norrington identified the detail and spurred the period Handel and Haydn Society orchestra to reproduce it.”
The Tablet (Rick Jones)
“The 40-plus chorus singers [were] characterised by unstraining volume, radiant tone and perfect balance."
DISTINCTLY BEETHOVEN
The Boston Globe (David Weiniger)
“Bezuidenhout drew a surprisingly wide range of color from his instrument, and Llewellyn offered flexible, responsive support for an interpretation that was compelling.”
"More than any other of Beethoven's symphonies, the Seventh is imbued with rhythmic energy, and Llewellyn led a reading of constant, surging energy."
EDGE Boston (Ed Tapper)
“Under the direction of principal conductor Grant Llewellyn, the concert opened with the Coriolan Overture. It was a ferocious reading, marked by an unusually fast tempo, and tight, rhythmic precision. One is used to hearing a statelier reading of the work; but Llewellyn's fiery approach was very convincing. Undaunted by the brisk pacing, the original instrument orchestra played beautifully.”
The Hub Review (Thomas Garvey)
“Rarely have I seen a pianist hold his audience's attention captive--but if Bezuidenhout's fingers hadn't been on the keys, I'd say he had Symphony Hall in the palm of his hand."
HANDEL: MESSIAH
Boston Globe (David Perkins)
“Christophers' reading was a revelation...”
“[Christophers'] focus was on the beauty and drama of the vocal line, which he gave breath and breadth. He conducted from memory, and his gestures, fluid and mostly horizontal, were generally directed at the 33-voice chorus. They responded with enthusiasm, solid tone, and dramatic fervor.”
The Hub Review (Thomas Garvey)
“I may have never heard a chorus find such a precise match between eloquence and passion--somehow the line between word and song simply melted away under Christophers' direction.”
"[The chorus'] acting was likewise exemplary... Christophers brought a very convincing sneer to "Let Him deliver Him, if He delight in Him," for example. And in the end, this commitment to the oratorio's human story, rather than any surprises in technique or interpretation, won the day."
"The Christophers version [of Messiah] was something special."
CHRISTMAS ORATORIO
The Boston Globe (David Perkins)
“There was much to enjoy. Llewellyn's gently rolling beat kept things alert and moving. There were beautiful obbligato turns from the orchestra's flutist Christopher Krueger and first trumpet Jesse Levine.”
BAROQUE JEWELS
The Boston Globe (David Perkins)
“The orchestra played with a lovely light step under Pickett, with fine solos or obbligatos by Jesse Levine (trumpet), Stephen Hammer (recorder and oboe), and Kathleen Staten (recorder).”
ROYAL FIREWORKS
The Boston Globe (David Weiniger)
“The orchestra was at the top of its game throughout the evening, the trumpets turning an especially dazzling performance.”
“Yet what at first glance promised only a hit parade of familiar favorites wound up delivering a richer than expected, multidimensional portrait of the Baroque."
The Berkshire Review for the Arts (Michael Miller)
“When the results are as ebullient and musical as on Friday evening, such tried and true programming can only seem brilliant.”
“The musicians' sense of flow, their elegant shaping of phrases, the rhythmic interaction of the different sections, all went straight to the heart of this mostly extroverted music, all stemming from courtly entertainments and the theater.”
"In J.S. Bach's Third Orchestral Suite, the keenly appreciated Air was an example of the best in contemporary historical practices. Any trace of the familiar soaring melody over a plodding bass line was gone, replaced by a far more expressive, dance-like interchange among the various choirs of the orchestra."
MOZART'S REQUIEM
The Boston Globe (David Perkins)
“The Requiem was beautifully sung by the Society's fine chorus. Every vowel in the German-accented Latin was perfectly shaped, runs were articulated, and there was plenty of strong, firm tone, notably from the basses.”
CLASSICAL MASTERS
The Boston Globe (Jeremy Eichler)
“Sommerville played with considerable eloquence and grace... [he] produced a tone that was pure, mellow, and extremely flexible. He also did very nimble work in the brisk finale of Haydn's Horn Concerto No. 1."
"The delicacy of Sommerville's playing in this work's [Mozart's Concerto in E-flat Major] final paragraphs made its conclusion a particular pleasure."
ITALIAN VIRTUOSI
The Boston Globe (David Weiniger)
“[Stepner's] direction was solid and unflashy, organically groudned in the music at hand.”
“Stephen Hammer and Andrew Schwartz were the soloists in an accomplished reading of Vivaldi's Concerto for Oboe and Bassoon, especially notable for the conversational fluency brought to the lyrical slow movement.”
“The very last chords of the Locatelli were played with a perfectly balanced and glowing ensemble tone.”
“Members of the ensemble warmly applauded one of their own.”
The Phoenix (Jeffrey Gantz)
“[The program] offered...a Locatelli concerto grosso called Il pianto d'Ariana ("Ariadne's lament"--lots of bereaved ladies in 18th century Italian music), with Stepner shining in his dual role as conductor and soloist.”
The Hub Review (Thomas Garvey)
“The Locatelli was most surprising of all in its energy and depth of feeling--largely due to Stepner's own virtuosi turn as lead violin, and the obvious rapport he had with the other players (the collegiality at H&H remains one of its central strengths).”
SIR ROGER'S HAYDN
The Boston Globe (Jeremy Eichler)
“The H&H chorus was consistently at or near its best, singing with a lovely tone, light yet firm, balanced and clear.”
The Hub Review (Thomas Garvey)
“[Norrington's] reading of the celebrated Adagio [of the "Trauer" Symphony]-- late in life Haydn asked that it be played at his own funeral-- proved particularly moving, yet full of a sense of solace, not mourning.”
"The chorus sang with glorious color."
Read critical acclaim from the:
2006-2007 Season;
2005-2006 Season;
2004-2005 Season;
2003-2004 Season;
2002-2003 Season;
2001-2002 Season.
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