10 Apr 2017
Munchner Merkur written by Markus Thiel
‘Just like Karajan, Gardiner stage directs, assisted by Elsa Rooke. And the staging; it is an arrangement, which can be seen for the first time in Aix, a performance that has aroused singers, so that - with all precision and meticulous preparation - they will turn their innermost outward. Even the climax does not need a prop. The bow of Ulisse, which none of his rivals can span, is personified by Penelope herself who is stretching out her arm. [...] What one experiences is captivating, precise in its concentration on the music and with extraordinary soloists.’
Destimed written by Michel Egea
‘Mastered by subtle and nuanced touches, refinement in detail, care taken with colour, respect for architecture, for the density of the material, Sir John Eliot Gardiner magnifies the music in the way that one another would the mountains of the region of Aix .’
© Photography Caroline Doutre
