Dvorák: Symphony No.8 in G, Op.88, etc CD review Kreizberg certainly makes an excellent case for his slower and slightly darker approach, [...] The remarkable and colorfully orchestrated tone poems based on the folk ballads of Karel Jaromir Erben obviously fuel Kreizberg?s dramatic instincts Arthur Lintgen, Fanfare , 2008-11-01 Shostakovich: Cello Concertos Nos 1 and 2 [Orfeo] CD review The virtuosity in the bravura sections is underpinned by superb playing from the Bavarians under Kreizberg's dynamic baton. Hugh Canning, The Sunday Times, 2008-08-03 Dvorak Symphony no 6 in D, Op 60. [Pentatone] CD review Kreizberg manages to make the most of the strange colours, the troubling dissonances and the quirky shifts of direction whithout loosing his focus, giving us a performance that grips our attention from first minute to last. Peter J. Rabinowitz, Pentatone Classics News, 2008-08-01 Dvorak Symphony no 6 in D, Op 60. [Pentatone] CD review High performance standards of the previous releases are sustained and the sound is excellent , Classical CD Review, 2008-06-11 Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra Concert review In total control of Janácek's score, Yakov Kreizberg leads the singers and musicians of the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra with a strong and powerful sound, as raw feelings are revived with shrill violins and strident brass winds jump out of the orchestral pit , De Volkskrant, 2008-03-06 Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra Concert review Colours abundantly float out of the orchestra pit (...)as Kreizberg finds the right balance between Janáceks rough brush strokes and his more delicate palette...Intensifying the song beautifully Kreizberg brings atmosphere to the score. , Trouw, 2008-03-05 Mozart: Sinfonia Concertante in E flat, K.364; Rondo in C, K.373; Concertone in C, K.190 CD Review "Yakov Kreizberg launches the Sinfonia Concertante in emphatic style: a no-nonsense tempo, lashing sforzando accents, a powerful forward imeptus" Richard Wigmore, Gramophone, 2008-02-19 Dimitri Chostakovitch Symphonies No.5 & 9 CD-Review: As with the other discs in this series, the accounts and recording are both superlative and must be considered amongst the top choices even in this popular pairing. The Pentatone disc quite erases memories of Gergiev's disc on Philips. The fifth symphony is given a most searing and intense account. I have never heard such a dramatic climax to the third movement allied with clear and precise playing - it is a wonderful but tragic moment that makes the heart ache with sorrow. The Moderato is despairing in the declamatory opening string phrases which settle into a forlorn acceptance of fate at the movements end. The Allegretto is biting in its sarcasm - a feature that the Russian National Orchestra brings off with great style and in their straight-forward approach give even more irony to the music. The Allegro non troppo is certainly not the fastest on disc; indeed until the coda, there is no hint of sluggishness aided by the wonderful crisp playing from all the orchestra. Kreizberg then chooses to undermine any sense of celebration by adopting a very deliberate tempo for the close of the work - the ''joy'' evaporates and there is a grim undercurrent that the major tonality barely manages to cover. This transforms the symphony into a work that looks ahead to the wartime works with frightening prescience. The ninth symphony is given an astonishingly contrasted reading under Kreizberg's baton. The opening movements are given such delightfully characterised readings that it is hard not to laugh out loud during these moments. By turn, the inner movements are in keeping with the traumatic elements of the earlier work - it is unusual for this pairing to work so well in tandem but here it is done with fantasy and imagination. The recording is a model of its kind and has extended Pentatone's heights to further elevations. The sound-stage is vast and is so-well balanced that even with such large forces, the walls of one's own home vanish completely - no mean feat! John Broggio and SA-CD.net, sa-cd.net, 2007-05-07 Dimitri Chostakovitch Symphonies No.5 & 9 CD-Review These are two of the most brilliant and insightful Shostakovich performances to come along in quite a while, and that's saying a lot given the excellence of the recent competition. Certainly if you're looking for this coupling, which is becoming a popular one, this is the disc to have. Yakov Kreizberg's account of the Fifth Symphony is simply the most grimly intense since Sanderling's (Berlin Classics). The first movement is implacably urgent and as architecturally cogent in its monothematic single-mindedness as any conductor has ever projected it. An aptly gruff and gawky scherzo precedes a very slow, hushed, and emotionally draining account of the magnificent Largo. Have you ever noticed that this movement uses no brass instruments at all, but still manages the most powerful climax in the entire symphony? Kreizberg, like Sanderling, is absolutely convinced that the finale does not represent a ''happy'' ending. After an impressively portentous opening and a brooding central interlude, he grinds out the coda with as much relentless menace as the music can take, and then some. By the time the movement heaves its lacerated carcass through the final bars, the cessation of sound comes as a positive relief. Throughout, the Russian National Orchestra plays with 100 percent conviction, and PentaTone's sonics, whether in stereo or SACD surround, are extremely natural and well-balanced. What makes this disc even more special is the fact that the Ninth Symphony is every bit as good. The first movement's deadpan humor comes across with perfect clarity and point. The ghostly waltz that follows has the same quiet intensity as the Fifth Symphony's Largo, while the scherzo demonstrates just how well Kreizberg has the orchestra on its collective toes. His account of the finale just might be the best on disc: he goes completely nuts in the recapitulation, with a freedom of tempo that the composer surely would have applauded, and the coda breezes by at a truly startling clip. It's at once the most hilarious as well as the most satisfying account of this movement to have appeared yet. Do not miss this release. David Hurwitz, classictoday.com, 4/11/2007 Johannes Brahms Classical CD of the week The brilliant young German violinist Julia Fischer has already established a close relationship with the Amsterdam-based Pentatone label - a management buyout by former Philips employees, who now own some of the latter companyŐs back catalogue - and with Kreizberg. All of Fischer's previous concerto discs have been conducted by the Russian-born American Yakov Kreizberg, but with different orchestras - the Russian National Orchestra and the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra. Here, with Kreizberg's own Dutch company, she rises majestically to the challenge of Brahms's two great string concertos. Fischer may be only in her mid-twenties, but she is already a mature artist, in command of a sweet, singing tone, formidable virtuosity and a breadth of vision that makes her Brahms especially compelling. She and her 29-year-old compatriot Daniel MŸller-Schott - arguably the finest cellist of his generation - give the Double Concerto one of the most beautiful and idiomatic readings on disc in recent years. Four stars. HC, The Sunday Times, May 6 2007 Dimitri Chostakovitch Symphonies No.5 & 9 CD-Review Nouveau volet de l'intégrale des symphonies de Dimitri Chostakovitch entreprise par le label Pentatone. Cette fois c'est Yakov Kreizberg que nous retrouvons à la baguette pour, disons-le d'emblée, une interprétation des symphonies No.5 & 9 de tout premier plan. La cinquième symphonie du compositeur russe fit couler beaucoup d'encre puisqu'elle intervint après le fameux article de la Pravda plongeant alors sa vie dans une sécurité des plus précaires. Datant de 1937, la composition de l'œuvre ne prit que trois mois et lorsque Prokofiev l'entendit, ce fut dans un enthousiasme qu'il s'empressa d'immortaliser dans une lettre qu'il adressa à son compatriote : ''J'ai enfin entendu votre Cinquième, dans des conditions effroyables il est vrai: c'était à Sokolniki ; on entendait une locomotive siffler au loin tandis que quelqu'un jouait de l'harmonica dans le parc et que des légions de mouches vous piquaient cruellement... De nombreux passages de la symphonie m'ont beaucoup plu, bien qu'il me soit apparu clairement que l'œuvre n'est pas appréciée pour la raison pour laquelle elle devrait l'être; il me semble que l'on n'a absolument pas remarqué en quoi cette symphonie mérite des éloges. Quoi qu'il en soit, je suis heureux qu'elle soit appréciée car, après toutes ces ''machines d'hier'' dont nous ont abreuvés dernièrement nos collègues compositeurs, il est bon que quelque chose de neuf voit le jour. On finira bien par comprendre aussi ce qui est essentiel dans cette symphonie''. Aujourd'hui, la cinquième symphonie est certainement la plus célèbre de son auteur. Quant à la symphonie No.9, composée en un mois à peine, elle fut un véritable pied de nez à la tradition qui voulait que ce chiffre soit d'une grandeur indéfectible en regard de Beethoven, Schubert ou Bruckner. Chostakovitch en fit une œuvre sarcastique à la mode de Haydn. Dirigeant l'orchestre national russe, Yakov Kreizberg offre ici une vision puissante et expressive de la cinquième. D'une manière générale, sa direction vivante et inspirée rend un bel hommage à ces partitions incontournables. Un enregistrement indispensable. Jean-Jacques Millo, Opus - haute définition e-magazin Vienna Symphony Orchestra: Tour of Germany and Spain Overwhelming Virtuosos Yakov Kreizberg is so familiar with the musicians, that top performances such as this evening, are not an exception. His performance is a very special experience, which was to be seen in the way his tempi were so tight and the way he put fire into the instrumentalists. His interpretations are full of dynamic contrasts and he and the Vienna Symphony Orchestra cared for a different and differential performance right up to the very end...the applause was overwhelming and provided the grounding for three explosive encores. Harald Budweg, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 7 November 2005 Vienna Symphony Orchestra: Tour of Germany and Spain Good Evening indeed! Tall, slim, striking profile, radiating smile, effortless movements - Yakov Kreizberg, the principle guest conductor of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra and chief of the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, is a type of winner...Antonín Dvorák's eighth symphony also received Kreizberg's glorious touch - excitement with a fantastically aggressive bite. Rarely have the the folklorish themes been set so tingling and free from all heaviness. Bernhard Uske, Frankfurter Rundschau, 7 November 2005 Vienna Symphony Orchestra: Tour of Germany and Spain Kreizberg is one of the few conductors who can make music really come alive. His feeling for phrasing is addictive and also his rhythmic proportion, and additionally he retains the main lines in the music and doesn't forget either, the voices of less importance. Stuttgarter Zeitung, 5 November 2005 Vienna Symphony Orchestra: Tour of Germany and Spain Yakov Kreizberg, Russia born raised and then trained in the USA, is a conductor who combines the musical tradition of these two countries marvelously with one another. On the one side, soulfull, on which the Russian music tradition is based, and which stands there still today in the foreground, and on the other side the technical expertize of the American orchestras. Dvorák's symphony NR. 8 followed after the interval. The strings were brilliant here with their typically round and warm sound. Again Kreizberg draws the colours fully out of the music, he breathes as one with the musicians. The orchestra does not show weak points, the brass and the winds play the trump card with much color and feeling. Nevertheless, tension and dynamic are also in the playing, because with so much beauty of sound there always exists the danger to slip into shallowness, but no, sitting there on the stage is one of the best orchestras in the world, which skillfully controls all facets of the music and in addition still shows enormous fun at making music. Midou Grossmann, Klassik.com, 5 November 2005 CD: Mozart, Violin Concertos Nos 3 &4, Adagio K261, Rondo K269 with Julia Fischer If this enchanting disc is anything to go by, the 250th anniversary of Mozart's birth has given us the green light to bathe in the warm glow of the composer's genius once more. Young German violinist, Julia Fischer, plays with a purity and freshness to rival even Henryk Szeryng, and she could hardly wish for a more sensitive and attentive backing than that provided by the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra and Yakov Kreizberg. Julian Haycock, Classic FM, December 2005 CD: Bruckner Symphony no. 7 [Pentatone] In sum, this is a first-rate Bruckner Seventh, sounding very good in stereo and even better in multichannel SACD mode....Kreizberg's thoughtful and superbly executed interpretation deserves a wide hearing. Robert McColley, FANFARE, November 2005 CD: Bruckner Symphony no. 7 [Pentatone] This is the fifth recording that Yakov Kreisberg has made for PentaTone. His previous efforts included a stunning disc of Russian violin concertos with soloist Julia Fischer and the Russian National Orchestra (5186 059). This live recording of Bruckner's Seventh is just as distinguished. Kreisberg draws rapturous playing from the VSO, which can stand comparison here with the best efforts of the local Philharmonikers. He has the knack of letting the music flow while gently asserting control before the orchestra starts to meander. This flexible approach is especially rewarding in the first two movements. Expert engineering by Polyhymnia International. Hearing the music in SACD multi-channel playback will encourage the notion that the medium was invented for the express purpose of conveying the symphonies of Anton Bruckner. Stephen Habington, Vol. 11 No. 1 of La Scena Musicale Dresden Staatskapelle - Semper Oper One thing was apparent as soon as Yakov Kreizberg made his way to the podium: this conductor possesses an intense strength. The American of Russian-Jewish origin proved very quickly that he can transfer this energy into music - and without particularly large and prominent movements. He tends towards small-scale gestures, that are however, very exact. Peter Zacher, Sächsische Zeitung, 21st May 2005 Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra - The Lighthouse, Poole A lesson in the art of conducting. Rather more of the genius and less of the raging revolutionary in Yakov Kreizberg's cogent account of Beethoven's extraordinary seventh Symphony. The opening movement's bouts of rhythmic delirium were tempered by sequences of relative repose. Kreizberg's governing viewpoint sees to have been that of putting the lyrical beauty entwined within its rhythmic energy into perspective; to serenade us and not simply enthral us with punishing delivery. Kreizberg's relaxed, rounded turns of phrase were very much more mellifluous than some accounts, enlivened by purposeful climaxes...Kreizberg lives and breathes the work in hand. The drama of Beethoven's Overture: Coriolan was expounded with passion and a lesson in the art of conducting. Mike Marsh, Bournemouth Daily Echo, 28th April 2005 Philadelphia Orchestra - Verizon Hall Physically, he [Kreizberg] remains fascinating to watch (which counts for something to an audience that does not uniformly connect with music solely on a aural level). Kreizberg has arms and fingers that seem to go on forever. He can deploy them to snap into place at an arrival point, or float them as wavy curls in the air...Kreizberg handled the concise Shostakovich Symphony No. 6 by letting its mood swings speak for themselves, not adding more drama than necessary, touching on solitude and desperation, and later a galloping escape. Orchestra and conductor achieved some particularly fine dynamic gradations, including some of the quietest playing I've heard since Simon Rattle's last visit. Peter Dobrin, Philadelphia Inquirer, 25th March 2005 Dallas Symphony Orchestra - Meyerton Symphony Center Mr. Kreizberg's hot-blood account of the Tchaikovsky Fourth Symphony called up memories of a great St. Petersburg forbear, conductor Yevgeny Mravinsky. The DSO brasses kept shy of the paint-off-the-walls bray of a genuine Russian orchestra, but only just, and the violins worked up some authentically searing tones. The finale was whipped into a hair-raising tizzy. Mr. Kreizberg's conducting was athletic and elaborately choreographed. And it got taut, committed playing, with a razor's edge on rhythms that wanted it. Horacio Gutiérrez was a nobly expressive soloist in the Chopin E minor Piano Concerto (No. 1). His unforced sound filled the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, and he pushed and pulled appropriate phrases to quite lovely effect. That Mr. Kreizberg and the orchestra matched every twist and turn of expressivity was no small accomplishment. Scott Cantrell, Dallas Morning News, 11th February 2005 Dallas Symphony Orchestra - Meyerton Symphony Center Kreizberg, who arrives with a resume decorated with some of the biggest names and grandest orchestras in the world, opened the concert with the Cantabile for String Orchestra by contemporary Latvian composer Peteris Vasks. He and the symphony painted a striking string-scape with swells and hollows and even a few pitched battles between the violins and the lower strings. The evening closed with Tchaikovsky's sprawling Symphony No. 4 in F Minor. The work is a compendium of the Russian composer's best moves, and Kreizberg made the most of all of them. Punch Shaw, Special to the Star-Telegram, 11th February 2005 Hallé Orchestra - Bridgewater Hall, Manchester Those who listened live on Radio 3 last night may have heard something pretty exciting - but in the hall there was the bonus of seeing conductor Yakov Kreizberg in action as well. He impressed when he brought the Bournemouth Orchestra here a few years ago, and his opener, Dvorak's Carnival overture, demonstrated the control and rhythmic energy he injects into his music...In Tchaikovsky's fourth symphony, the Russian-trained conductor was on home ground, and his emphasis on articulation and almost clipped phrasing produced a vivid counterpoint of the rhythms. Richard Beale, Manchester Evening News, 12th January 2005 Bamberg Symphony - Sinfonie an der Regnitz In Stravinsky's 'Petruschka' he (Kreizberg) commands the music, baton and orchestra...Kreizberg's strengths, including among others his ability to bring the orchestra together to create climaxes through simple suggestion and to unfold intoxicating layers of sound, allow an inner tension to build throughout the piece until its abrupt conclusion. Rupert Plischke, Fränkischer Tag, 10th January 2005 Bamberg Symphony - Sinfonie an der Regnitz Conductor Yakov Kreizberg was a first class leader with clear gestures, who allowed each orchestral section enough interpretive freedom to open themselves up. Whenever Kreizberg wiggled his little finger the entire orchestra trembled...Standing ovations in a full house. Thomas Starost, Schweinfurter Tagblatt, 10th January 2005 CD: Russian Violin Concertos / Fischer & Russian National Orchestra PTC 5186 059 Since January is a good time to celebrate new life, I'd like to give a warm if belated welcome to Julia Fischer's debut disc on PentaTone Classics of Russian violin concertos (5186 059). Barely 21, this German talent delivers Khachaturian, Glazunov and Prokofiev No 1 with a lyrical fervour and unwavering confidence that deserves to win her many new fans; she's already far beyond promising, well into full achievement. With this repertoire, no pale loitering by musicians is allowed; happily, Yakov Kreizberg and the Russian National Orchestra make ideal, full-blooded partners. If this CD doesn't banish winter chills, frankly, nothing will. Geoff Brown, The Times, 7th January 2005 CD: Wagner Preludes & Overtures / Netherlands Philharmonic PTC 5186 041 What would anti-Semite Richard Wagner think if he found out that some of the most exciting recorded performances of his instrumental music were coming from a Russian conductor with a Jewish name? Kreizberg has an international reputation in both opera houses and on the podium, and he is now Chief Conductor of the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra - both the largest orchestra in the Netherlands and covering a wider range of repertory than any other. Little analysis is needed of these familiar works, but if you have a five-speaker system of fairly similar speakers, you will be transported by the fire and gusto of these recordings. This reading of the Flying Dutchman Overture will make you realize why the music was once used on the soundtracks of so many movie serials and TV shows. And there seems to be more information in the surround channels than just reverberation from the sides/rear of the venue. It puts the listener right in the middle; you'll want to air-conduct, I warn you! Make sure the table lamps and cats are out your path. John Sunier, Audiophile Audition, 2nd January 2005 CD: Wagner Preludes & Overtures / Netherlands Philharmonic PTC 5186 041 ...great playing by an orchestra which clearly has this music in its veins conducted by a leader who seems to be born for this repertoire...for those who own a super-audio set with 5 speakers a 'must' René Segers, Luister, December 2004 Munich Philharmonic - Philharmonie im Gasteig Yakov Kreizberg generously delivered with the complex Symphony No. 2 by Shostakovitch [what he had once promised as conductor of the Berliner Komische Oper in his concert at the Munich Philharmonic with Szymanowski's Konzert Ouverture]: clarity of the musical construction, passion of music making style and relentless control over emotional expressive resources. Rüdiger Schwarz, Abendzeitung, 22nd November 2004 Munich Philharmonic - Philharmonie im Gasteig Seconds seemed each to pass between the dull Pizzicato blows, and in the silence that occurred between them, no sound could be heard in the whole large and full Philharmonic hall, no cough, no clearing throat, no movement. If there is proof required that inspired making music has a physical effect and that it can make the breath stall, Yakov Kreizberg and the members of the Munich Philharmonic produced it in Shostakovich's eleventh symphony this evening. Andreas Grabner, Münchner Merkur, 22nd November 2004 Bregenz Festival - Festspielhaus The double bill of Weill's Der Protagonist and Royal Palace (July) was an absolute knock-out...I can't imagine either work being better done, and certainly have never heard them as well played as they were by the Weiner Symphoniker under Yakov Kreizberg: warmth, wit, total clarity of texture. Rodney Milnes, Opera, November 2004 Wiener Symphoniker - Konzerthaus, Vienna Yakov Kreizberg inspired the Vienna Symphony to dramatic and full-blooded playing... Maestro Kreizberg pushed through his idea of a monumental 8 double basses throughout [Schubert C major Symphony] right up to a very emotional finale and obtained with it a large and unequivocal ovation. Hebert Müller, Wiener Zeitung, 20th October 2004 CD Review: Violin Concertos - Fischer & Russian National Orchestra [Pentatone Classics] Fischer's obvious love for Russian music is complemented by the presence of Yakov Kreizberg - who occasionally flashes mercurially across the British music horizon to dazzling effect having made his mark in Bournemouth - and the crack Russian National Orchestra... A pleasurable release. Martin Hoyle, Time Out London, 20th October 2004 Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra - Concertgebouw, Amsterdam Kreizberg, not yet one year leading the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, has achieved wonders in that short time. One can hear this especially in the strings, where an amazing melodious and fluid sound was produced, but also in the strong blending that the orchestra displayed as a whole. Equally fascinating is the manner in which Kreizberg, in the one and a half hour that Mahler's Second takes, models the sound and gives it, despite the enormous contrasts, continuous forward movement. Kreizberg, who already last year, received a lot of praise with Mahler's First [Symphony], has planned to conduct a Mahler-Symphony each season. Relying on the level of this performance we are promised a triumphant journey ahead. Frit van der Waa, Volksrant, 27th September 2004 Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra - Concertgebouw, Amsterdam In Yakov Kreizberg's hands Mahler's Second Symphony was a true barrel of gunpowder... Eddie Vetter, De Telegraaf, 27th September 2004 Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra - Colston Hall, Bristol THIS interesting pairing of music by Richard Strauss and Tchaikovsky's lesser-known Manfred Symphony proved to be a lively combination. Those who attended responded generously to the two works, as did the BSO to conductor Yakov Kreizberg's precise interpretations. This lithe figure issued very definite instructions, which included some perfectly timed pauses for dramatic effect. Gerry Parker, Western Daily Press, 7th May 2004 Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra - The Lighthouse, Poole The pen may be mightier than the sword bit when it comes to literature inspired works the baton and the BSO make a rather impressive commentary. Yakov Kreizberg's passionate advocacy for Tchaikovsky's Manfred Symphony, directed from memory, must be ranked among this season's highlights. Mike Marsh, Daily Echo, 6th May 2004 CD: Franz Liszt / BBC Symphony Orchestra OC 316 CD of the week: "These performances of the two piano concertos and the Totentanz lack nothing in bravura and dramatic excitement, but there is a nourishing substance to them as well. Yakov Kreizberg, conducing the BBC Symphony Orchestra with a blend of dynamism and good taste, shares Perl's view of Liszt's compact, cunningly interconnected structural workings, while giving the music's lyrical impetus a beguiling glow...throughout all three works there is a wonderful range of warm colours in both the orchestral and piano playing." Geoffrey Norris, The Telegraph, 17th April, 2004 Minnesota Orchestra - Orchestra Hall, Minneapolis ''It was obvious Thursday night that this is a work [Schmidt Symphony no 4.] he [Kreizberg] knows intimately. The performance seemed deeply considered and was elegantly played. The orchestra soloists easily captured the richly elegaic quality of the work, whose four movements, played without pause, flowed seamlessly. Of Kreizberg's many appearances here in recent years, this was the one for the time capsule.'' Michael Anthony, Star Tribune, 9th April, 2004 Philharmonia Orchestra - Royal Festival Hall, London ''Kreizberg's greatest contribution to the Tchaikovsky [Symphony no. 4] was a sense of structure Ń crucial to the opening movement, where baleful Fate and the waltzing world chivvied and elbowed each other with a satisfying sense of inevitability. Elsewhere, the Philharmonia's brilliance and Kreizberg's clockwork showmanship spotlit every brightly painted effect in Tchaikovsky's box'' Geoff Brown, The Times, 26th March, 2004 Netherlands Chamber Orchestra - Concertgebouw, Amsterdam ''With the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra he again showed his great conducting talent, his gift for accompaniment and being able to appeal to a wide audience. Especially in Brahms First Serenade - conducted by heart - his sense of rhythmical precision, dynamic balance and colouring shone out clearly. Nothing of a grey start of this work with Kreizberg [..] he was followed by his musicians (wonderful horns) right from the start of the Serenade. Perfect phrasing, with the melodies placed in a silver-lined frame...beautiful synthesis in the Adagio non troppo.'' Trouw, 22nd January, 2004 Netherlands Opera - Het Musiektheater, Amsterdam ''With the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra he again showed his great conducting talent, his gift for accompaniment and being able to appeal to a wide audience. Especially in Brahms First Serenade - conducted by heart - his sense of rhythmical precision, dynamic balance and colouring shone out clearly. Nothing of a grey start of this work with Kreizberg [..] he was followed by his musicians (wonderful horns) right from the start of the Serenade. Perfect phrasing, with the melodies placed in a silver-lined frame...beautiful synthesis in the Adagio non troppo.'' Volkskrant 17th January, 2004 CD: Dvorak/Tchaikovsky Netherlands Philharmonic PTCS186 019 ''Kreizberg takes a fresh direct view of the Dvorak...in the slow movement he takes a very spacious, steady view, with the dynamic extremes well caught by the recording and the strings admirably refined. Crisp ensemble and articulation mark the Scherzo and finale, as they do in the similarly alert performance of Romeo and Juliet. Kreizberg builds the great love theme into a richly romantic climax with no suspicion of sentimentality or exaggeration....Kreizberg readily conveys liveliness and electricity here in much recorded works that might easily invite routine performances'' Edward Greenfield, Gramophone, February 2004 CD: Dvorak/Tchaikovsky Netherlands Philharmonic PTCS186 019 ''Despite spectacular percussion playing in the battle sequences, this Romeo and Juliet is most memorable for Kreizberg's supremely natural, intelligent phrasing of the love music. He does it as well as anyone has...'' David Hurwitz, Classics Today.com, January 2004 New Jersey Symphony Orchestra - NJ Performing Arts Center ''The composer's [Brahms] four symphonies can stand multiple interpretations, and the NJSO executed Kreizberg's orders well. In one instance of lovely playing, the cello section sang the doleful opening song of the Adagio -- one of the symphonic canon's most touching slow movements with a beautiful, measured unison tone.'' Bradley Bamberger, The Star Ledger, 22nd November, 2003 Montreal Symphony Orchestra - Place des Arts ''A matter of minutes after Yakov Kreizberg took to the stage of the Salle Wilfrid Pelletier, he served notice that one of the best Montreal Symphony Orchestra performances of the season was under way. A viable candidate for the empty MSO throne, this 44 year old Russian conducts entirely from memory and with rapier thrusts. It is hard to imagine a style better suited to Leonard Bernstein's high-octane Candide Overture, which started the concert like a joyride in a Ferrari. After the intermission came the slimmed down 1947 revision of Stravinsky's Petruska. It got a dazzling treatment. There is no doubt that Kreizberg is one of the best conductors on the scene.'' Arthur Kaptainis, The Gazette, 16th November, 2003 The Philadelphia Orchestra - Verizon Hall ''Dvorak's Carnival overture was propelled by animal energy, and quite exciting in it's own way. The Ravel Bolero that ended the concert ticked away with the inevitability of a time bomb, the ending assured to get a standing ovation.'' Peter Dobrin, The Philadelphia Inquirer, 30th October, 2003 Munich Philharmonic - Philharmonie im Gasteig ''Yakov Kreizberg, who was always lively and gripping, and the Philharmonic, who were in the perfect mood, succeeded in presenting a very convincing account of the works, very much in the sense of symphonic cooperation of orchestra and soloist, as imagined and promoted by Brahms...huge applause, especially after the Brahms.'' Gabriele Luster, Münchner Merkur, 5th October, 2003 Munich Philharmonic - Philharmonie im Gasteig ''All of this [Brahms] was only possible because Yakov Kreizberg succeeded in actually convincing the Philharmonic to cooperate. His conducting is wonderfully clear and was a pleasure to look at during the Nielsen 3rd symphony; this clarity was reflected in an excellent sound, and in the intense execution of the work's content. Thus something amazing happened: the piece was harmonious, without neglecting its secrets.'' Thomas Willmann, TZ, 5th October, 2003 Munich Philharmonic - Philharmonie im Gasteig ''Yakov Kreizberg succeeded in presenting an excellent interpretation of the piece [Nielsen 3]....standing ovations for conductor and pianist'' Thomas Vitzthum, Klassik.com, 4th October, 2003 The Philadelphia Orchestra - Tour of the Americas May 12 - June 1, 2003 ''The works performed were Schumann 4th Symphony and Tchaikovsky 6th Symphony. And how Kreizberg made music with those pieces! As part of mainstream repertoire, these works have been subject to numerous interpretations and to add yet something new could seem forced. However Kreizberg, with an incredible command of the music as a whole, used the musical effects of the pieces in such a way that they were presented as if they were the best symphonies ever written for an orchestra. With an incredible energy and perfect technical command (the conductor transformed himself into music: there was no difference between the music and the gestures of Kreizberg, they were one and the same thing) and an incomparable charisma, this Russian made the musicians reach a state of an unusual interpretative ''trance'' which touched the audience'' Guilherme Mannis, Movimento.com, 25th May 2003 The Philadelphia Orchestra - Tour of the Americas May 12 - June 1, 2003 ''How great to follow the thread of the theme throughout the orchestra, the conversations between sections, and ebb and flow of dynamics, simply by watching this talented conductor. ''Musically Kreizberg is a man of bold gestures, daring tempo fluctuations, of powerful effects...He knows and loves each note of the score and is able to recapture and relive the emotional vitality of even so oft-played a piece as the Brahms Second.'' ''Kreizberg is an exciting conductor who conveys emotion and inspires his players.'' Eric Nisula, The Midland Daily News, 13th May 2003 The Philadelphia Orchestra - Tour of the Americas May 12 - June 1, 2003 ''Mr Kreizberg led a highly energetic performance of Schumann's Symphony No.4. The opening hit you with a force that almost moved you backwards, and the piece was played for all the drama it was worth from thereon.'' Olin Chism, The Dallas Morning News, 15th May 2003 The Philadelphia Orchestra - Tour of the Americas May 12 - June 1, 2003 ''The contrast between the muted opening statement of the famous lyric theme of the first movement and the lavish blossoming of string sound in the repeat of the melody was striking and impressive. Kreizberg's ability to build a constantly intensifying momentum through the third and fourth movements was equally outstanding.'' Wayne Lee Gay, Star-Telegram, 15th May 2003 The Philadelphia Orchestra - Tour of the Americas May 12 - June 1, 2003 ''As recently as five years ago, the critics were still calling the Russian-born Yakov Kreizberg a conductor on the way up. Unsurprising news: The 43-year-old musician from St. Petersburg has arrived. And he proved it in his guest conducting appearance with the touring Philadelphia Orchestra in the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts on Saturday night.'' ''Kreizberg led the virtuoso ensemble ...through a demanding program with thrilling authority, confidence and insights, giving the observant listener pungent reconsiderations of familiar music.'' ''Precise but not finicky, expansive but not vague, Kreizberg is a conductor in constant control, yet one who holds the reins loosely enough to let the players be assertive.'' ''Without creating an overwrought performance, he coaxed the utmost in intensity from the ensemble in Schumann's mercurial D-minor Symphony. Then he led a genuinely passionate and tragic reading of Tchaikovsky's valedictory work, one that hardly let up except in the consoling second movement. For excitement, astuteness and the thoroughness of his conducting, one must compare Kreizberg's mastery with that of the often-admired Valery Gergiev.'' Daniel Cariaga, Los Angeles Times, 19th May 2003 London Symphony Orchestra - 16th March 2003 ''...it was a feast of sonic thrills and exuberant gestures, tightly controlled by a man confident enough to use no score and sparky enough to generate red-hot playing from the London Symphony Orchestra.'' Richard Morrison, The Times, 17th March 2003 Oregon Symphony Orchestra - 2nd February 2003 ''It was a glorious experience, fully realised by the players and their guest conductor, Yakov Kreizberg.'' ''Kreizberg is an interpreter of big ideas, communicated in detailed exactness. He has two of the most expressive hands in the business, and he radiated rhythm from the podium. It added up to a kind of poetry of precision, with highly expressive results.'' David Stabler, The Oregonian, 3rd March, 2003 Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra - 14th February 2003 ''...he drew a glorious sound from the CSO forces, in a reading that was both probing and confident as he led without a score.'' ''Kreizberg's sense of scope was admirable, and he balanced dramatic crashes and brass-filled climaxes with more refined subtleties. He led the movement to an inspired climax, and then gently brought the piece to a close."" Janelle Gelfand, The Cincinnati Enquirer, 16th February 2003 Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra - 20th January 2003 ''Yakov Kreizberg is the archetypal magical conductor and music always seems to be composed in order to make him shine.'' ''Yakov Kreizberg knows how to perform this best known music (Dvorak Symphony No.9) with a lot of nuances and variations in sounds, and to bring it to another, new level.'' Kasper Jansen, NRC, 22nd January 2003 Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra - 20th January 2003 ''The Ninth Symphony (Dvorak) sounded very special; Yakov Kreizberg reigned as a prince. It was with concentration and a crystal clear baton that he led the orchestra through this work. As with everything he conducts, this symphony revealed a majestic character under his baton.'' Sandra Kooke, Trouw, 22nd January 2003 Dresden Staatskapelle - 13th January 2003 ''Yakov Kreizberg conducted the Dresden Staatskapelle with superior knowledge bringing all instrument groups together to form a wonderful sound. The Staatskapelle responded to Yakov Kreizberg''s alert and sensitive communication with devotional playing.'' ''Yakov Kreizberg presented the sharpness of the conflicts by means of exciting playing and clarity; despair, hope, irony, grotesque, anger, fury were amazingly reflected in the music.'' Gerhard Böhm, Dresdner Neueste Nachrichten, 14th January 2003