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Friday, March 20, 2009 After huge successes with the Philadelphia Orchestra last December and with the Boston Symphony in February, Yannick is overwhelmingly ovationned by the Angelenos when conducting the L.A. Philharmonic. He performed a total of ten concerts in these three cities, with top-of-the-range orchestras, in three magnificent halls, in front of full audiences everywhere much enthusiastic, conducting extremely various repertoires: great symphonies (Tchaïkovski’s Pathétique, Dvorak’s Sixth and Shostakovitch’s Fifth), piano concertos from Rachmaninov, Listz and Ravel played successively by André Watts, Jean-Yves Thibaudet and Martha Argerich and Ravel Waltzes. Amidst thunderous applause, Nézet-Séguin put his baton aside to join the goddess Martha Argerich in a delightful four-hands duet, excerpt from Ravel’s Mother Goose Suite, as an encore. A return in Philadelphia is already booked (December 2009) as well as two series of concerts in New York Lincoln Center (Mostly Mozart festival in August 2009 and tour concerts with his Rotterdam Philharmonic in February 2010). Yannick will make his debut to the Metropolitan Opera of New York in Bizet’s Carmen, with Angela Gheorghiu as Carmen (January 2010) The press reviews are unanymous : “ The Montrealer who has made a Philadelphia Orchestra debut of considerable impact, has the full concept of ensemble control under his belt.” “With some gorgeous phrase-shaping and meticulously detailed dynamics, he put a personal imprint on Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2.” Philadelphia Inquirer. - “ He drew vibrant performances from the orchestra, at once structurally coherent and viscerally exciting. » The Boston Globe. - “The orchestra played beautifully for him, and the performance was well shaped. I hope the Symphony Hall will hear more of him in the future.” The Boston Musical Intelligencer. - “The orchestra seemed to be hanging on every beat, ready to follow him wherever he wanted to go.” The Boston Phoenix. - “Conducting from memory, Nézet-Séguin elicited all the vibrant colors and atmosphere of the piece (Dvorak 6th).” Classicalsource.com. - “ Nézet-Séguin is cut from the same bolt of cloth as Gustavo Dudamel: tres-exuberant on the podium, rapier-like baton thrusts, beaming with wide smiles”. Pasadena Star News. - “Nézet-Séguin, who is flashy and hyper-expressive in his gestures, got a sound I had never quite heard before from the Angelenos.” “In complete command of everything, Nézet-Séguin brought out interesting details in every phrase. He quickly figured out what the orchestra could do and what Disney (hall) could do, and he went for an extreme dynamic range.” “Nézet-Séguin is a considerable virtuoso, able to slow down to a near stop and rush to finish with dazzling speed.” Los Angeles Times.
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