Reviews

“Jacek Kaspszyk lets loose the considerable forces of the Warsaw Philharmonic on three of Karol Szymanowski’s vocal works. The Stabat Mater, fragrant with incense, finely balances liturgical stateliness with a cathartic emotional tug (Szymanowski was mourning his young niece). Inflections of Polish folk music, glancing memories of north African travels – all are vividly conjured up by Kaspszyk and his players.”

“Conductor Jacek Kaspszyk managed to release energies out of Sinfonia Lahti, that you do not often hear. [...] He created an atmosphere, which results from great musicality and understanding [and] enhanced the rich and colourful chord structure in a very spontaneous and natural way, whilst also maintaining a balanced sound in the climaxes.”

“Under the baton of long-time music director Jacek Kaspszyk, the musicians proved themselves as dynamically sensitive as Cho in the Chopin concerto, and they got unexpected vibrancy out of the work’s humdrum orchestration […] Kaspszyk’s beat is large and demonstrative, yet he got precise responses from his group. ”

“Schubert’s Third Symphony was pure magic in Kaspszyk’s hands…it never lost sight for one moment of the quintessential melodiousness that is the composer’s hallmark. But to the Poles’ light-footed and well-sprung presentation, Kaspszyk added another ingredient: Beethovenian weight, and not just with the six double basses or in the hefty slow introduction. It gave the symphony an unusual solidity, firming up the delight. Their Beethoven Nine was extraordinarily fresh…Kaspszyk’s pacey tempos were thrilling and exhilarating: the development section in the first movement seethed and went like the wind; in the pounding Scherzo I almost ducked as the rhythms flew off the page like bullets. The slow movement sang as it always does, with not one ounce of drag; and the fantastic, searing performance of the finale…felt like being there as the music was born. I found the whole thing totally cathartic. ”

“[…] The two big works on the Warsaw Philharmonic’s album [Stabat Mater and Symphony No. 3], lovingly shaped by the veteran Polish conductor Jacek Kaspszyk, show very different sides of Szymanowski’s creativity.”

“The Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra was the headline act in Davies Symphony Hall on Sunday, Nov. 6, and there was no denying the vibrancy and flair of the orchestra’s playing under Music Director Jacek Kaspszyk [...] After intermission, Kaspszyk led a performance of Brahms’ First Symphony that was at once robust and refined. It boasted plenty of rhythmic momentum in the opening movement (where Kaspszyk won my heart by taking the repeat, always the sign of a conductor who knows his trade), as well as gracefully translucent textures in the slow movement. The encore was a brisk and vividly colored account of Leonard Bernstein’s “Candide” Overture — a surprising and frankly flattering tribute from a touring orchestra to its host country. It was a delightful close to an all-around rewarding evening”

“Though the Weinberg revival began in the 1960s, Kaspszyk can be credited with doing his part: in 2013, one of his first acts as the Philharmonic’s new music director was to record Weinberg’s Symphony No. 4, which he and the musicians turned into this evening’s exuberant conclusion. What was evident from the beginning, …was the finesse of the orchestra’s strings, and the ability of the group to shrink its utterances to a whisper. With most of the sold-out audience on its feet, Kaspszyk returned for a swaggering encore: the insouciant, extravagantly orchestrated Mazurka from Weinberg’s Polish Melodies, which made the most of the orchestra’s gritty power. ”

“Schubert’s Third Symphony was pure magic in Kaspszyk’s hands. It never lost sight for one moment of the quintessential melodiousness that is the composer’s hallmark. But to the Poles’ light-footed and well-sprung presentation, Kaspszyk added another ingredient: Beethovenian weight. It gave the symphony an unusual solidity, firming up the delight.”