Shostakovich, Weinberg

Candida Thompson, leading the Amsterdam Sinfonietta and playing solo violin in the Weinberg, makes a good case for the Chamber Symphonies.

(...) Artistic director and leader Candida Thompson’s lovely tone is a pleasure to hear. Despite my personal reservations about the existence of arrangements of Shostakovich’s string quartets and not wishing to appear to be damning with faint praise this disc is a fine example of them and of the Sinfonietta’s warm sound.

(...) Here the 22 players of the Amsterdam Sinfonietta lavish their usual scrupulous care for dynamics and refinement of sound on the often emotionally searing music of these quartets and manage to combine to thrilling effect the flexibility and precision of a string quartet with the weight and impact of a full string orchestra; (...)The DSD recordings, made in two different locations, are clear and wide ranging in the best Channel manner. (...)This is yet another outstanding addition to the Amsterdam Sinfonietta's peerless discography.

(…) The Amsterdam Sinfonietta have a keen reputation for attention to detail, above all, dynamic control and balance. This is on full display throughout this recording. (…) Overall, I rate this disc excellent, for the craftsmanship on display throughout and the sensitive approach to the music itself.

(…) The two quartets, each in a different way, are monumental pieces and masterworks which have shifted plane from quartet to orchestral format with idiomatic and stylistic effectiveness. This new recording by Candida Thompson's Amsterdam Sinfonietta is blisteringly effective (…)

From every technical standpoint, the playing of the Amsterdam Sinfonitta is first-rate (...) astonishing engineering (...) an undisputed triumph for all concerned.

(...) der Solopart im Concertino durch Candida Thompson wird mit herrlicher Verve und lyrischer Rafinesse, dazu noch in vollkommener technischer Beherrschung der Mittel und absolut intonationsrein gegeben.

Equally impressive is a disc of Shostakovich and Weinberg’s Chamber Symphonies from the Amsterdam Sinfonietta under Candida Thompson (Channel); a particular pleasure here is provided by the neglected piece by Shostakovich’s discriminated-against associate Weinberg, played with great panache.

The DSD recordings, made in two different locations, are clear and wide ranging in the best Channel manner. (...) Candida Thompson gives a lovely account of this work and the recording provides an exemplary balance between soloist and orchestra. (...)This is yet another outstanding addition to the Amsterdam Sinfonietta’s peerless discography.