NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC – JANUARY 2019
This concert was to be directed by Mirga Grazinytė-Tyla, who would have been making her Philharmonic debut, but when she cancelled New York audiences were blessed with the choice of Paavo Järvi as her replacement … Lemminkäinen and the Maidens of the Island is a movement from the Sibelius work Four Legends from the Kalevala, whose most famous section is The Swan of Tuonela. Here the ensemble was whipped into a whirlwind, tremendously exciting and colorful in the extreme. There were moments when it was difficult to remember that this was the local band. concertonet.com, Fred Kirshnit, 4 January 2019
The Second Suite from Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé occupies the nexus of the familiar and the challenging – a place at which the Philharmonic thrives, for the specificity the composer demands keeps the musicians on their toes. Further, familiarity enables risk-taking between conductor and orchestra. This was Ravel at his most nuanced and persuasive, and on a night of first-rate solo work, principal flute Robert Langevin gave an especially inspired contribution, in color, line, and virtuosity. classicalsource.com, Thomas Phillips, 4 January 2019