Devastation and exuberance: Brussels Phil

By Mark Thomas, 09 November 2017

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“Denève coaxed from the orchestra an exotic and creamy lushness”

Reviewed at Cadogan Hall, London on 8 November 2017

Turnage, Passchendaele

Bruch, Violin Concerto no. 1 in G minor, Op.26

Prokofiev, Cinderella (excerpts)

Ravel, Daphnis et Chloé: Suite no. 2

Bizet, L'Arlésienne, Suite no. 2: Farandole

Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider, Violin

Brussels Philharmonic

Stéphane Denève, Conductor

Pressing the “pause life” button with Arvo Pärt in Brussels

Zenaida des Aubris, 15th May

Kristjan Järvi conducts the Brussels Philharmonic and the Vlaams Radiokoor in a programme of Arvo Pärt's music.

****1

Magisterial performance of Feldman's Rothko Chapel in Brussels

Timothy Robson, 6th November

Part of Brussels' Ars Musica festival, the concert also included a fun world premiere by Claire-Mélanie Sinnhuber, and the riveting Streaming Arhythmia by Anna Thorvaldsdottir.

****1

Magnificent Rachmaninov tribute from Lugansky and Denève in Ghent

Marc Haegeman, 4th April

Nocturne may not be your dreamlike, moonlit summer night stroll, but quite a grim-visaged journey, threateningly dark with the occasional shaft of light piercing through in powerful, sonorous tutti.

*****

Luminous Beethoven and impetuous Connesson in Bruges

Marc Haegeman, 1st March

Denève and the Brussels Philharmonic launched into Guillaume Connesson’s Flammenschrift with enough excitement and energy to illuminate the whole city.

***11

An unfussy, memorable War Requiem from Noseda

Nicolas Nguyen, 11th October

Gianandrea Noseda conducts the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Netherlands Radio Choir and an ideal team of soloists in a memorable performance of Britten's War Requiem.

****1

Fiery, formidable Boris Godunov at the Concertgebouw

Jenny Camilleri, 8th September

This year’s NTR ZaterdagMatinee concert series in Amsterdam kicked off with a Boris Godunov that left nothing to be desired.

*****

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Mark Thomas

A lifelong devotee of classical music, Mark caught the bug after listening to The Planets, The Rite of Spring and Beethoven’s Fifth when he was knee-high to a grasshopper. He has degrees in non-musical subjects and currently works as a Chartered Governance Professional, but these have proved to be mere distractions from the wonders of sonatas, concertos and symphonies. He has been reviewing for Bachtrack since 2016, plays viola and violin (very shakily) and used to sing a bit (even more shakily).

Devastation and exuberance: Stéphane Denève and the Brussels Philharmonic hit the sweet spot