Vellykket utenlandsturné
Bergen Filharmoniske Orkester har sendt oss utdrag fra et knippe anmeldelser etter deres turné tidligere denne måneden til Amsterdam, Birmingham og London.

Bergen Filharmoniske Orkester og dirigent Andrew Litton melder om en vellykket turné til Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), Symphony Hall (Birmingham) og Royal Albert Hall hvor orkesteret deltok på the Proms for første gang.

Konsertene i Concertgebouw og Royal Albert Hall var utsolgt, mens over 1600 hørte orkesteret i Birmingham. I tillegg til varm mottagelse fra publikum, høstet orkesteret en rekke gode kritikker, og vi gjengir utdrag fra noen av dem:

“One expects impressive things when famous orchestras visit the Proms. But there’s a special frisson when a less familiar band dazzles. Such was the case with the Bergen Philharmonic, a highly refined and mellow-toned ensemble that has waited 242 years to make its Proms debut, but which rose gloriously to the occasion with – of all unexpected choices – an immaculately prepared performance of Walton’s First Symphony.” Richard Morrison, The Times

“Earlier, a sell-out had greeted the Bergen Philharmonic on its impressive Proms debut with Andrew Litton. …Litton moved on to one of his specialities, with an outstanding account of Walton’s First Symphony. The Nordic elements in the score – the symphony’s debt to Sibelius in general, and to his Lemminkainen pieces in particular – clearly struck a chord with the Bergen players. Litton’s wonderfully mobile account, propelled on perfectly articulated bass lines, was less aggressive than many, but still tense and well-judged”, Andrew Clements, The Guardian

“Amazing sound is a fitting tribute….this wonderful concert in a packed hall was also a celebration of Grieg himself, one of Bergen’s greatest sons. There were fresh, spontaneous accounts of exquisitely-crafted Peer Gynt miniatures, Boris Berezovsky’s response to the concerto combined poetry and tension, sparkling and tripping in its fingerwork, with no sentimental lingering. Thus refusal to dally heralded Litton’s absolutely electric interpretation of Walton’s Symphony no. 1, teeming with urgency, and with clear, transparent textures reflecting the composer’s gaunt, biting lines. The sustained energy of the first movement found release in an irrepressible audience «bravo» at its conclusion, though tension never really totally disappeared, not even in the uneasy melancholy of the flute-led slow movement. Once viewed as problematic, the finale drew together all the threads convincingly under Litton’s perceptive direction”, Birmingham Post

Neste utenlandsturné går til USA (2. – 20. 11) med konsert i Carnegie Hall 6. november.

Det er Bergen Filharmoniske Orkester som melder dette.