Artistic Partners

Richard Egarr

“Egarr has an engaging stage presence, undeflectable focus and an infectious enthusiasm for the music he plays…luminous…riveting…serious, haunting…” — The Washington Post

Richard Goode

“While soloing on two Mozart piano concertos, the Bronx-born 80-year-old took listeners on the kind of probing exploration of a composer’s inner world that few interpreters accomplish. But even calling him a soloist sounds inaccurate, for Goode is above all a collaborator, merely the leader of an expedition that values the contributions of each fellow traveler. That made for a concert at which the musicians of the SPCO shone almost as brightly as the esteemed pianist at center stage.” — Star Tribune

“… distinguished pianist Richard Goode, who has collaborated with Orpheus since the mid-1970s, including recordings of Mozart concertos, appeared as the soloist in the Piano Concerto No. 25 in C, a majestic and virtuosic score. Goode was at his best, in a sensitive, crisply clear and supremely musical performance.” — The New York Times

“… he focuses on thoughtful interpretation and profound understanding, prioritising artistic insight over mere technical prowess.” — Bachtrack

“American pianist Richard Goode provided a wonderful example of America giving back to Europe what Europe once gave to America: a living tradition of selfless musicianship … Goode’s playing here was truly beautiful: often powerful but never harsh, personal but never mannered … This performance was just about as good as a mortal can get.” — The American

“The venerable American pianist offered lively, genial performances with a plain-spoken authority and crowd pleasing affability. Translating Bach for the piano, Goode had clear ideas about structure and voicing, without ever resorting to dry pedantry. His Bach was sunny, earthy, jovial and good-humored.” — The Washington Post

Abel Selaocoe

“There are few musicians who are able to move seamlessly between headlining the BBC Proms with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales one night and improvising at the London Jazz Festival the next. Abel Selaocoe is one such musician — able to master virtuosic performance with improvisation, singing and body percussion.”
— BBC Music Magazine

“Abel Selaocoe is billed as a cellist and composer, but that doesn’t begin to cover his talents. The South African musician also sings, improvises, dances and directs, seemingly sculpting sound with his hands … Yet Selaocoe’s greatest gift is his irresistible energy, sweeping the audience up into the music in an entirely wholehearted way.”
— The Times

Gábor Takács-Nagy

“Takács-Nagy was not only a joy to behold, but a leader with such strong interpretive ideas that each of the concert’s three pieces held ideas, insights and emotional epiphanies that I’d never encountered from the works before. And that’s saying something, when you consider that the finale was Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony, an orchestral staple. This may have been the most thrilling performance of the SPCO’s season, a richly gratifying showcase for an orchestra at the peak of its powers.” — Star Tribune

“It’s the second straight season that the SPCO has concluded with Takács-Nagy conducting Beethoven — 2023′s Pastoral Symphony was brilliantly rendered — and Friday’s concert demonstrated that they indeed share a special chemistry. Here is a conductor who is clearly passionately in love with the music they’re performing, and the atmosphere in the hall was one of intense dedication to expressing the emotional core of the music.” — Star Tribune

“… see for yourself on Medici TV or YouTube just how literally animated Takács-Nagy is, how little he has in common with old time maestros and yet how much of a collaborative spirit of endeavour he inspires in his musicians.” — Gramophone

“Takács-Nagy, at times, also seems to enjoy taking a vocal role in proceedings, an extension of the mini-opera concept which I could hear even on the very back row …” — The Arts Desk

“His attention to precision detail in curating microscopic aspects of articulation, ensemble, phrasing and dynamics never came at the expense of musical drama … An infectious enthusiasm for the music set the tone for the rest of the concert …” — Bachtrack

Tabea Zimmermann

“In a music industry with more than its fair share of superficiality and artificiality, Tabea Zimmermann … has come to epitomize a musicianship based on integrity, on an authentic and personal stance that does not shy away from pointing out uncomfortable truths about the industry … an artist who channels all her energy into getting to the heart of a musical work – and sharing this experience with her audience.” — Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation

“More than any other violist, Zimmermann has boosted the repertoire for her instrument, inspiring composers including Ligeti, Heinz Holliger, Wolfgang Rihm and Enno Poppe to write for her. And she boldly adopts music written for other instruments … she can coax the warmth and depth of a cello out of her viola, just as she can capture the airy sweetness of any violin sonata by Franck or Schumann.” — The Strad