Guerzenich Orchestra Cologne opens the Hong Kong Arts Festival with Mozart and Strauss

By Alan Yu, 19 February 2014

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“Guerzenich Orchestra Cologne opens the Hong Kong Arts Festival with Mozart and Strauss”

Reviewed at Hong Kong Cultural Centre: Concert Hall, Hong Kong on 18 February 2014

Mozart, Clarinet Concerto in A major, K622

Strauss R., Eine Alpensinfonie (An Alpine Symphony), Op.64

Gürzenich Orchestra

Markus Stenz, Conductor

Sabine Meyer, Clarinet

Wagner’s Dutchman drops anchor in Provence

Mark Pullinger, 10th April

The Flying Dutchman – or Le Vaisseau fantôme as it is known in French – makes a fleeting appearance at the Grand Théâtre de Provence in a rousing concert performance conducted by the dapper François-Xavier Roth.

****1

An excellent Rhenish from the Rhineland

Simon Thompson, 22nd June

Schumann's Third returns to its spiritual home as François-Xavier Roth conducts the Gürzenich Orchestra in a fine Rhenish.

***11

Punch and passion from Gürzenich Orchester Köln

Mark Thomas, 13th April

An exciting, though brief, world premiere and Schubert’s turbulent Fourth Symphony were given impressive readings by the Gürzenich Orchestra under Michael Sanderling, with Raphaela Gromes sensitive and passionate in Schumann.

****1

Raising a glass to greatness: Gürzenich's splendid Stravinsky marathon

Roy Westbrook, 6th April

The players gathered at the bar for a Scotch as the credits rolled. After three hours and twenty minutes of note-taking, I decided to follow suit.

****1

Musical contrasts from Fabien Gabel and the Gürzenich Orchester Köln

Phillip Nones, 16th March

In Cologne, Stravinsky's neoclassicism comes up against the echt-romanticism of Schreker and Korngold, ending in a draw.

****1

Beethoven and beyond: the Gürzenich reinvents the concert programme

Matthew Rye, 21st February

François-Xavier Roth and the Gürzenich Orchestra tear up the traditional concert programme to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Beethoven's birth.

****1

More reviews...

Alan Yu

The first concert Alan attended was Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde. For 7 years he presented classical music programmes for Radio Television Hong Kong, partly to pay his way through university. He attends concerts whenever he can and believes there is no substitute for the thrill of live performances. He writes here.

The Gürzenich Orchestra Cologne opens the Hong Kong Arts Festival with Mozart and Strauss