OperaPLUS wrote:
“The soloist of the evening, violinist Josef Špaček, earned his priority in Brahms' Concerto in D major by way of a technically sovereign performance, humble to the score and at the same time realizing an artistically creative conception of the piece.”
“Aspects of Špaček’s performance brought the artist great ovations. He therefore added Eugène Ysaÿe’s Sonata No. 5, after which the wave of enthusiasm continued.”
“Gemma New supported its tight structure and gave the soloist plenty of acoustic and temporal space to realize his intentions.”
“Gemma New captured the character of the work by profiling all the movements into distinct musical images. In them, the bassoonist Štěpán Jinek or horn players Mikulás Koska and Adéla Psohlavcová impressed with their solos.”
KlasikaPlus wrote:
“The two-hundred-year-old score by Louise Farrenc was approached by conductor Gemma New with a clear interpretative intent, freshness, and optimism.”
“Josef Špaček added to the extensive orchestral sound afterwards with feeling and at the same time with due vigour.”
“It is admirable how perfectly he was in harmony with the orchestra during its shaping. Thanks for this are, of course, due to the accommodating coordinating approach of the conductor.”
