Discipline and power from the Sinfónica Juvenil de Caracas

By James Imam, 30 August 2015

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“Paredes... electrifies the platform with tightly sprung beats. Players watch like hawks.”

Reviewed at Teatro alla Scala, Milan on 27 August 2015

Verdi, La forza del destino (The Force of Destiny): Overture

Tchaikovsky, Francesca da Rimini, Op.32

Saint-Saëns, Symphony no. 3 in C minor "Organ Symphony", Op.78

Shostakovich, Festive Overture in A major for orchestra, Op.96

Márquez, Danzón no. 2

Sinfónica Juvenil de Caracas

Dietrich Paredes, Conductor

Dudamel and Paredes lead Colburn Orchestra in music by Revueltas, Copland, Tchaikovsky

Ted Ayala, 19th February

Among the most memorable and exciting evenings of my concert-going experience have been some excellent performances by student orchestras. You would think there is a trade-off for this sort of experience and that often is the case: in exchange for that last degree of technical polish you’re recompensed with performances often more thrilling than those by their professional peers.

****1

Energetic Currentzis and Utopia at the Elbphilharmonie

Mengguang Huang, 12th May

From Berg’s crystalline intimacy to Dionysian Mahler, Teodor Currentzis and Utopia defy orchestral tradition with standing musicians, spatial acoustics and an emotional intensity that breathes new life into the concert life.

****1

Petr Popelka delivers a thrilling opening for Prague Spring

Frank Kuznik, 12th May

With Petr Popelka on the podium, the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra brings a native feel and colorful exuberance to a cultural icon.

****1

Korngold and Mahler from Ray Chen, Vasily Petrenko and the RPO

Roy Westbrook, 12th May

Few violin concertos soar from the first bar as Erich Korngold’s does, especially as in Ray Chen's high-wire account at the Royal Albert Hall.

****1

Clara Yang's immersive piano recital gets lost in the clouds

Kurt Gottschalk, 11th May

Prerecorded acoustic guitar, soft beats and more piano accompany video of jittery yellow circles and masses of illegible text in a concert that feels both meditative and too much to take in

**111

Era-defining string sound in the Liverpool Phil’s Mahler 9

Rohan Shotton, 10th May

Domingo Hindoyan nears his five-year anniversary at the RLPO with Mahler's Ninth Symphony.

****1

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James Imam

James Imam is an arts journalist writing for publications including The Financial Times, The Times, Musical America and Opera magazine. He grew up in Manchester, read anthropology at Cambridge and has since lived in Milan. As a once-aspiring countertenor he has an abiding interest in Baroque music.

Discipline and power from the Sinfónica Juvenil de Caracas: El Sistema at La Scala