It is indeed a fact that the Athens State Orchestra has developed under the leadership of it’s principal Conductor Loukas Karytinos , to an International level Orchestra as I had the opportunity to witness in the Concert that was given at the Athens Megaron on 27/05/2022.
The guest Maestro was Marcus Bosch, in my opinion one of the most accomplished and versatile musicians I know.
His rendition of Mozart”s “Haffner” Symphony was exemplary. Rarely have I heard such a perfectly polished and energetic performance of Mozart’s masterpiece. His attention to detail was exemplary, the orchestra was reduced to half it’s size, and yet it sounded like a full Orchestra.
What impressed me more was the attention to the dynamics of the score, and the de-romanticization of the music, without on the other hand reverting to a “baroque”style Orchestra. He didn’t need to after all, the sound was “baroque” enough with Sturm und Drang undertones.
Franz Liszt’s Concerto nr 2 was performed by the young pianist Nikos Kyriosoglou. I felt that he was a bit out of his league in such a demanding Concerto that requires an exceptional technique from the pianist, perhaps he should tackle the Concerto later in his career. The Orchestra supported him in the best of it’s abilities but I felt that it was holding back at certain passages. The audience loved it, and after all that is what matters.
Finally for a real treat, a “fiery performance” of Stravinsky’s “Firebird” Suite, that gave the opportunity to the Orchestra to play it’s heart out. M.Bosch created a wonderful atmosphere bringing to the surface all the details and dynamics of the score, especially in the beginning when we could literally “see” the firebird flying around. The finale was , as was expected, in full fortissimo I think the percussions really enjoyed it.
A concert that made me really happy, one of those rare moments when one hears music at the highest level.