Beethoven 8 Concert – The Independent
Posted on October 8, 2009
Manchester Camerata’s ongoing cycle of Beethoven symphonies with Douglas Boyd has been a revelation, fusing the sharp articulation of historically informed performance with richness of expression and warmth of legato. Last Friday’s (9th October 2009) performance of the Eighth, preceded by William Alwyn’s lovely Autumn Legend and Kurt Schwertsik’s Dada-ist Shrunken Symphony, was as cogent as it was bracing. Boyd has an extraordinary gift for narrative flow and startling details, and the madcap Allegro vivace had elegance, substance and verve. Brahms’s Piano Concerto No 1 sounded similarly well-prepared, though soloist Jonathan Biss was too busy to listen to the orchestra.
Review of Beethoven 8 concert (8 Oct 2009), Anna Picard, Arts and Culture Journalist – The Independent