Arabella Steinbacher delivers superb Beethoven with the DNSO in San Francisco

Fabio Luisi conducts the Danish National Symphony Orchestra in a programme that blends two modern works with Beethoven's Ninth.

“Denmark is not all Lego and pastries!” quipped Nikolaj Znaider to the Albert Hall audience. Indeed not. It is the land of Carl Nielsen, whose 150th birthday was celebrated in a packed Prom given by the Danish National Symphony Orchestra. 

Admittedly, it has been quite some time since I heard a St Matthew Passion in a concert hall as opposed to a church. The Concert Hall of the Danish Radio in Copenhagen is an impressive building both inside and out; it was well-filled and buzzing with excitement for a passion featuring the radio orchestra, choir as well as young and attractive international soloists.

The evening’s music commenced with Ligeti’s Night; Morning, one of the composer’s last works before his emigration to the West. Although only a very short piece, it exhibits some of the compositional approaches that are now synonymous with Ligeti’s style.

Dans cette reprise d'une production créée en 2016, Bo Skovhus est magistral dans le rôle-titre. L'œuvre s'avère une nouvelle fois un des moments forts de la programmation de l’Opéra de Paris.

Dans la mise en scène de Warlikowski créée en 2017, Don Carlo est de retour à Bastille, cette fois-ci dans sa version italienne. Une franche réussite malgré l'état grippal de Roberto Alagna.