Daniel Hope and the Basel Chamber Orchestra

By Mark Valencia, 19 April 2017

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“the violinists let their hair fly and their limbs rock to the wit and invention of the music”

Reviewed at Wigmore Hall, London on 18 April 2017

Bach, Violin Concerto in A minor, BWV1041

Mendelssohn, Concerto for Violin and String Orchestra in D minor

Martin, Pavane couleur du temps

Bartók, Divertimento for Strings, Sz 113

Bartók, 6 Romanian Folk Dances, Sz 56

Daniel Hope, Violin

Basel Chamber Orchestra

Schumann v Schumann: a surprise victor in Vienna concerto play-off

Mark Pullinger, 11th February

Alexandra Dovgan plays piano concertos by Clara and Robert Schumann at the Konzerthaus, but it's the Kammerorchester Basel's performance of a forgotten symphony which most impresses.

****1

Handel's somewhat rare oratorio Susanna in the Halle Handel Festival

Sandra Bowdler, 14th June

Handel's oratorio Susanna is often considered to be less than consistently dramatic and this performance in the Halle Handel Festival did little to dispel that view.

***11

Swish playing from a Swiss orchestra

Dominic Lowe, 20th November

Heinz Holliger conducted a fine interpretation of Schubert's Ninth, but it was Stephen Hough's performance of Mendelssohn’s Piano Concerto No. 1 that really made the evening.

****1

Sol Gabetta a stylish soloist with the Basel CO

David Larkin, 29th November

The final stop on the Basel Chamber Orchestra's Australian tour at the Sydney Opera House saw Sol Gabetta in fine fettle as soloist in Cello Concertos by Saint-Saëns and the Latvian Vasks.

***11

Mozart disappoints, but Rameau and Bizet compensate

David Pinedo, 25th July

It was an evening for showing off. The Basel Chamber Orchestra (being Bartoli and Scholl’s frequent partners) performed Bizet and Rameau, plus a Mozart concerto with conductor Christian Zacharias directing from the piano.

***11

Mozart concert arias from Rolando Villazón fail to engage

Aksel Tollåli, 6th May

Rolando Villazón and kammerorchesterbasel failed to impress in a programme of Mozart's concert arias for tenor.

**111

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Mark Valencia

Mark has worked in arts journalism for four decades, both as a writer and as a French-English translator. Nowadays he focuses his energies on reviewing opera and music. Mark also writes for Opera magazine and for Musical America as a correspondent for Europe and the UK.

A string orchestra showcase from Daniel Hope and the Basel Chamber Orchestra