Lyrical touch and immaculate phrasing

By Zoltán Szabó, 26 September 2016

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Reviewed at Sydney Opera House: Concert Hall, Sydney on 23 September 2016

Beethoven, Coriolan Overture, Op.62

Schumann, Piano Concerto in A minor, Op.54

Rachmaninov, Symphony no. 2 in E minor, Op.27

Nelson Freire, Piano

Marcelo Lehninger, Conductor

Sydney Symphony Orchestra

Andrey Boreyko and Maximilian Hornung make Sydney Symphony debuts

Zoltán Szabó, 12th June

An unusual combination of 20th-century Russian masterworks herald debut appearances by both conductor and soloist in Sydney.

****1

Mahler survives unusual pairing as Sydney Symphony opens new season

Jeremy Eccles, 25th February

Putting Gershwin up against Mahler is a challenge, but Simone Young and Jean-Yves Thibaudet bring it off in the Sydney Symphony's 2026 season opener.

****1

Cello whisperer Kian Soltani debuts in Sydney

Zoltán Szabó, 1st November

Terrific orchestral colours abound in this Sydney Symphony concert under Simone Young, adding to a thoughtful and emotive rendering of one of the best-known cello concertos.

****1

Daniel Müller-Schott plays Tchaikovsky with the Sydney Symphony

Zoltán Szabó, 22nd October

A delightful programme welcomes conductor Lionel Bringuier and returning cellist Daniel Müller-Schott to Sydney.

****1

Sublime Burleske in the Sydney Symphony's Strauss concert

Zoltán Szabó, 3rd September

Three very different works from the long life of Richard Strauss are performed by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra under Simone Young.

****1

18th-century fireworks from Stephen Layton and the Sydney Symphony

Sandra Bowdler, 23rd August

Stephen Layton conducts Haydn and Handel, and is joined by soprano Sara Macliver for Bach and Mozart for a joyful evening.

****1

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Zoltán Szabó

Zoltán Szabó is a cellist and musicologist. Having migrated from his native Hungary to Australia in 1985, he worked with the Australian Chamber Orchestra in Sydney until 1991, when he became Principal Cello with Opera Australia. In 2017, he was awarded with a Doctor of Philosophy degree (PhD). Currently, he is teaching music history and musicology at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.

Lyrical touch and immaculate phrasing: Nelson Freire's Schumann with the Sydney Symphony