Gardiner / Monteverdi: Orfeo — KKL Lucerne, 2017-08-22

Concert review, Monteverdi: L’Orfeo @ KKL Lucerne, 2017-08-22 — Sir John Eliot Gardiner / English Baroque Soloists, Monteverdi Choir; Krystian Adam (Orfeo), Hana Blažiková (La Musica, Euridice), Kangmin Justin Kim (Speranza), Anna Dennis (Ninfa), Lucile Richardot (Messaggiera), Francesca Boncompagni (Proserpina), Gianluca Buratto (Caronte, Plutone), Furio Zanasi (Apollo)

Gutman, Zander: Shostakovich, Dvořák, Bartók — Lucerne, 2015-06-29

Natalia Gutman played with rich rubato, exploring the depth, the melodic strength of Dvořák’s composition with her dense, soft and singing tone (…) often, in lyrical passages, the soloist appeared completely immersed into the music, listening and playing with closed eyes (…)
The fourth movement, Allegretto, “Intermezzo interrotto” is rhythmically intricate, playing with Bohemian folk melodies — in typical Bartók / Hungarian manner, the meter is changing almost from bar to bar, leaving western ears “hanging in mid-air”: the orchestra’s playing was very good and appeared almost effortless.