Fiery Mendelssohn from the Istanbul State SO

By Rohan Shotton, 21 April 2014

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“fragments of his shattered baton flying into the front row at one point”

Reviewed at Beşiktaş Belediyesi Fulya Sanat, Istanbul on 18 April 2014

Dvořák, Cello Concerto in B minor, Op.104

Mendelssohn, Symphony no. 4 in A major "Italian", Op.90

István Várdai, Cello

Istanbul State Symphony Orchestra

Alpaslan Ertüngealp, Conductor

Nelson Freire's remarkable Grieg a highlight in Istanbul

Alain Matalon, 18th June

Mixed fare that Istanbul State Symphony Orchestra and conductor Christopher Warren-Green, with Nelson Freire's performance the highlight.

***11

Humanity wins: István Várdai plays Shostakovich at the Concertgebouw

Eleanor Knight, 9th December

Nicholas Collon conducts the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra in a ZaterdagMatinee programme designed to celebrate Finnish Independence Day.

****1

Wrath, hellfire and Soviet shadows

Mark Pullinger, 25th October

Rachmaninov had a strange fascination with the Dies irae chant. For last night’s concert, Andrés Orozco-Estrada prefaced the Symphonic Dances with a rendition of this Gregorian Chant.

***11

Várdai and Vigh unveil musical treasures in Budapest

Alexandra Ivanoff, 14th December

István Várdai delivers a knockout punch in Saint-Saëns' Cello Concerto no. 1 at the Franz Liszt Music Academy.

***11

Mäkelä et l’ONCT : un prodige finlandais au service du style français

Arnaud Saura-Ziegelmeyer, 24th May

À la tête de l'Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, le jeune chef scandinave a livré une interprétation personnelle et intense d’œuvres phares du répertoire français, aidé par le violoncelliste István Várdai.

*****

Merveilleux et vibrant programme au Festival de Bellerive

Jean Landras, 12th July

À quelques jets de pierre de Genève, le Festival de Bellerive a proposé, ce 12 juillet, un concert donné par un éphémère mais éclatant ensemble de musique de chambre.

*****

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Rohan Shotton

Rohan has reviewed concerts and opera across the UK and Europe, but chiefly in Manchester, where he enjoys conducting and playing percussion and piano. He works as a hospital doctor, having studied in St Andrews and Manchester, and tweets as @RohanShotton.