November 13, 2007

Litton leads Bergen Philharmonic on its first US Tour in 41 years

"...the Bergen Philharmonic played with an unusual solidity and warmth, and produced a breadth of color that gave it a distinctive sonic thumbprint. Some of that, clearly, was Mr. Litton's work. Mr. Litton's reading (of Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony) had the virtues of supremely polished surfaces with raw, often savage emotion swirling just beneath them."

- Allan Kozinn, New York Times

"....the orchestra showed off its power with an impressive reading of Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4. The sheer volume of sound from the Bergen Philharmonic was stunning with sturdy brass-laden climaxes in the first and fourth movements that made one forget how difficult the Carr auditorium can be for some ensembles. In fact, just the string section alone of this orchestra had one of the richest and fullest ensemble sounds this reviewer has ever heard in the Carr.....the Bergen Philharmonic strings played with a deft elegance in the pizzicato third movement....Instead of heading for the exits after the encore, as Carr crowds usually do, the audience gave one of the longer ovations in recent memory for any orchestra. It was well deserved."

- Scott Warfield, OrlandoSentinal.com

"The Norwegians' range of sound and color - from the whole orchestra, not just the strings - paid off in the whole symphony (Tchaikovsky's 4th), especially the way conductor Andrew Litton marshaled it all. With so much sound at his disposal, Litton made the lyricism rich and big-hearted."

- Steven Brown, The Charlotte Observer

"Ending with Symphony No. 5, Op. 47 in D minor, Litton led his musicians to a mesmerizing finish...culminating in the final allegro where the drum beat loud, the violins ran wild, the cellos and double bass jumped in, woodwinds and brass let themselves be heard in a whirlwind of sound, a feast for the ears."

- Joanna Apie, Daily Campus, University of Connecticut