An evangelical happening in Aix

By Mark Valencia, 15 April 2019

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“a thrilling thing to witness, both visually and aurally”

Reviewed at Grand Théâtre de Provence, Aix-en-Provence on 14 April 2019

Verdi, Messa da Requiem

Zarina Abaeva, Soprano

Hermine May, Mezzo-soprano

Dmytro Popov, Tenor

Tareq Nazmi, Bass

musicAeterna Choir

musicAeterna

Teodor Currentzis, Conductor

A hole in the heart: Salzburg Festival’s new Don Giovanni

Hugo Shirley, 4th August

The pairing of controversial director and bad-boy conductor brings some thrills but the Salzburg Festival's new Don Giovanni proves disappointingly uninvolving.

***11

An online Beethovenathon: all nine symphonies across Europe in one day

Alexander Hall, 6th June

An all-day Beethoven experience European style with both highs and lows: much diversity revealed and exploited but of variable quality.

***11

An outstanding New York debut for Teodor Currentzis and musicAeterna

Edward Sava-Segal, 21st November

In Currentzis' vision, Verdi's Requiem was both a spectacle and a soul-searching exercise for the musicians, as well as for the listeners.

****1

Cool brilliance: Currentzis conducts Mahler at the Philharmonie

Hugo Shirley, 5th December

Theodor Currentzis and his musicAeterna bring blistering detail and revelatory playing to Wunderhorn-period Mahler, but it ultimately proves short on warmth.

****1

Electrifying Beethoven from Currentzis and musicAeterna

Mark Pullinger, 28th July

The Greek conductor and his hand-picked Russian orchestra offer high-voltage Beethoven that crackles.

*****

A beautiful but infuriating Clemenza in Amsterdam

Nicolas Nguyen, 7th May

The transfer of last year's Clemenza di Tito from Salzburg delights and irritates in equal measure.

***11

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Mark Valencia

Mark has worked in arts journalism for four decades, both as a writer and as a French-English translator. Nowadays he focuses his energies on reviewing opera and music. Mark also writes for Opera magazine and for Musical America as a correspondent for Europe and the UK.

An evangelical happening in Aix: Teodor Currentzis conducts Verdi's Requiem