Superb concert for Gianandrea Noseda and NSO at Carnegie Hall
Washington Post: At Carnegie Hall, a road-ready NSO delivers a show of sonic force Joined by Russian pianist Daniil Trifonov, the orchestra thrilled a full house with a program of Walker, Prokofiev and Stravinsky Noseda extracted rich color from its catastrophic blasts of horns and climbing strings, and ably guided the orchestra through its constantly shifting terrain — a stretch of long, luminous calm; a furtively plodding passage flecked with percussive punctuation; the mounting cataclysm of its close. Walker’s work has become a unique lens through which to hear Noseda’s NSO — each Sinfonia a test of the orchestra’s agility and sensitivity. … If the rapturous audience reception was any indication, rumors of the NSO’s rise among American orchestras have not been overstated. The orchestra feels fully charged and road-ready for its fast approaching first European tour under Noseda next February. But more importantly, the NSO has never seemed more settled into itself, never sounded more sound.
New York Classic Review: Trifonov’s existential Prokofiev with National Symphony transcends time and genre This past winter and so far this spring there have been several fantastic orchestral performances in Carnegie- Hall. To that add Tuesday night’s concert from the National Symphony Orchestra and conductor Gianandrea Noseda. … Trifonov was supported by superb playing from the orchestra and uncanny integration, via Noseda, not just coordinated in time but in expressive purpose.
New York Times: Symphony Spotlights Forward Thinkers Gianandrea Noseda led his Washington ensemble at Carnegie Hall in a trio of works by George Walker, Prokofiev and Stravinsky. The National Symphony Orchestra, in the days leading to its Carnegie Hall appearance on Tuesday, launched a charm offensive in the press. This ensemble from Washington revealed that its music director, Gianandrea Noseda, had been anonymously lending seven Italian-made violins and one viola, reportedly collectively valued at some $5 million, to players in the orchestra. Until very recently, the musicians did not know who their benefactor was until — ta-da! — Noseda stepped forward. The orchestra may see those Noseda-owned instruments as a kind of secret sauce, but on Tuesday it was the total flavor — a mix of honey and heat — that was truly satisfying.
Musical America: Noseda and the NSO Probe Russia's Finest By George Loomis, Musical America April 21, 2023 the National Symphony Orchestra led by Music Director Gianandrea Noseda appeared in Carnegie Hall with two mammoth Russian works in tow, Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 2, and the complete score of Stravinsky’s 1910 ballet The Firebird. It was their first appearance in New York since 2019, when they performed Act 2 of Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde in David Geffen Hall. If that event reflected Noseda’s skill as an opera conductor—since 2021 he has been general music director of the Zurich Opera House, where a new production of Wagner’s Ring cycle is currently in the works—this one one drew on his affinity for Russian music, furthered by his long association, including as a principal guest conductor, with the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg.
His players were fully up to the task, among them several who had vivid solo moments, including Sue Heineman (bassoon) and Abel Pereira (horn). Much has been made of the orchestra’s improved string sound during Noseda’s six years at the helm, and recently it was revealed that eight instruments by vintage Italian makers, now part of Noseda’s personal collection, are in the players’ hands. Whatever the effect they may or may not have, the orchestra’s rich string sonority served this music well. Add in the intensity Noseda brought to the performance and his feeling for drama at moments like the approach to the final tableau, when he reduced the strings to a whisper before the glorious horn solo, and the result was a performance of true Russianness.