From August 25 - September 9, the Boston Symphony Orchestra embarked on its first European tour under the musical direction of James Levine. The tour, with stops in Switzerland, Germany, France, and England, was a tremendous popular and critical success, reflected in the glowing reviews the BSO received in each of the seven cities where they performed.
Examples of reviews:
“The Boston musicians processed the magnificently dazzling score in their infernal sound laboratory. The razor-sharp lightning chords flashing through the orchestra, the sound mixtures, the discipline within the sections should go down in the annals of orchestral history. The unity of the strings in bowing, phrasing, and timing is the expression of an almost unbounded desire for quality.”
Rheinische Post
September 3, 2007
“The Boston Symphony Orchestra, founded in 1881 and currently conducted by James Levine is a famous orchestra, and it would not be an overstatement to say that it is the best American orchestra.”
La Regione Ticino
August 29, 2007
“You are still incredulous when you hear this fullness in such a breathtakingly fine orchestra. The strings sparkle, the brass are resplendent, without ever becoming loud. This orchestra is a sonic wonder of the world; only with the Vienna Philharmonic do you encounter something similar.”
Sonntags Zeitung
August 26, 2007
“…it was the orchestra that made the strongest impact. The cor anglais solos introducing Marguerite in Scenes 13 and 15 were beautifully poised; the Ride to the Abyss in Scene 18 pitted an exciting gallop against the religious chanting of the peasants; the plucked strings in Mephistopheles’s were vibrant, and there was much besides that revealed Berlioz’s orchestration at its deftest.”
The Daily Telegraph
September 7, 2007
“With its exquisite sound esthetic, the orchestra reached the pinnacle of what an earthly ensemble can achieve.”
West Deutsche Zeitung
September 3, 2007
“In terms of technical excellence, the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s players are up there with the best. It has traditionally been regarded as the most European of the leading orchestra in the U.S., but under Levine’s hands it has started to show its true stars and stripes.”
Financial Times
September 9, 2007
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1 response so far ↓
The BSO under James Levine is easily as good as the Berlin Philharmonic, especially in the winds. In fact, Levine, some say, is trying to make the BSO into a German orchestra. Section by section, it is a well-integrated orchestra at home in many styles. It’s just not one thing. Recently I heard critics rave that the BPO is the finest in the world. That’s rubbish. There is no such thing. I was not terribly impressed by Berlin’s Mahler recently performed in NYC and Boston.