Reviews
DAVID ATHERTON, conductor
"..five minutes to take your breath away with an amazing reading full of passion yet delicate, of the extraordinary overture by Mozart."
O Estado de São Paulo, 27 September 2010
Sao Paulo State Symphony Orchestra
"There was a superb account of Threni, Stravinsky's first wholly 12-note work. David Atherton's no-nonsense conducting was typically pungent, the soloists were outstanding, and the BBC Singers and London Sinfonietta were their usual exemplary selves."
The Guardian, 5 August 2010
BBC Proms
"Under Atherton’s assured direction and the festival orchestra’s immaculate playing, Mozart’s “G Minor Symphony, No. 40,” worked its wonted magic."
SanDiego.com, 8 June 2010
Mainly Mozart Festival
"The performances were exceptional. It was wonderful to hear Atherton again with the ensemble he co-founded, and to appreciate his precision and directness in the masterpieces of the early 1920s, Hyperism, Octandre and Intégrales, which demand precisely that."
London Sinfonietta, The Guardian, 19 April 2010
"Atherton ripped into The Planets with suitably martial force. In a carefully paced performance, what was striking was the contrast between the gutsy clamour of Holst's orchestration at full throttle – the brass section in its element – and the celestial mystique of its hushed moments."
The Guardian, 18 January 2010
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
"Atherton is a conductor of genius."
Sir Michael Tippett, Autobiography
"The footfall and heartbeat of time moves within the shifting speeds and metres of Birtwistle’s “pulse labyrinth”. And then, at last, the voice of the flute rises into the eponymous Air. It was wonderful to hear the breathing, plucking and percussive life of Silbury Hill resonating so freely under the Albert Hall’s dome."
The Times, 6 August 2009
London Sinfonietta, BBC Proms
"The Delius and Elgar pieces came off vividly and effectively, however. Brigg Fair is Delius at his best, the folk tune that inspired this “English rhapsody” passing through a series of beautifully judged transformations. And Atherton led an unshowy but dynamic reading of Elgar’s Enigma Variations. "
The Times, 28 July 2009
BBC National Orchestra of Wales, BBC Proms
"In its first appearance of the festival, the orchestra – conducted by David Atherton, the festival's founder and artistic director – was in fine form. From the very first tutti, when the violins run off in rising and falling passages while the woodwinds and basses trot along a descending scale, all was crisp, clear and fit perfectly together. As textures thinned and thickened, Atherton coaxed more or less prominence from sections and players, and his attention to delicate detail allowed Mozart's gemlike structures to speak for themselves. It was like a visit from a cheerful old friend, dispelling any lingering sorrows."
San Diego Tribune, 13 June 2009
Mainly Mozart Festival
"Tavener’s The Whale, based on the biblical story of Jonah, the score still has the power to surprise in its mix of austere spiritual reflection and spouting energy, and in its combination of speech and sung texts. David Wilson-Johnson and Susan Bickley were the two excellent singers, with the spoken parts taken by voices from BBC radio. Atherton's lean direction of the orchestra and London Sinfonietta Chorus lent added punch."
The Telegraph, 29 August 2008
BBC Proms, London Sinfonietta
"Needless to say, Atherton's players performed with the polish and musicality we all have become to expect as the standard for this most wonderful of local music events. May there be another glorious 20 years."
San Diego Arts, 22 June 2008
Mainly Mozart Fesitval
"Atherton chose to make this piece a showcase for the virtues of his orchestra: a vibrant string tone, an energetic pulse carried out with superb rhythmic discipline, and a surprisingly wide dynamic range for what is essentially a mid-sized chamber orchestra."
San Diego Arts, 20 June 2008
Mainly Mozart Festival
"The Stravinsky (ballet suite Petrushka) is an explosion of excitement….The intricate Stravinsky harmonies never cease to fascinate and the way Atherton built up this work to its tumultuous conclusion was breathtaking."
Liverpool Daily Post, 19 November 2007
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
"The BBC NOW under conductor David Atherton responded resourcefully to the music's vibrant imagery in this world premiere performance."
The Telegraph, 10 August 2007
Guto Puw, BBC Proms
Press Quotes
KMI
