Orchestre Métropolitain/ Nézet-Séguin ****
Philharmonie, Paris, 3rd December 2017
It’s always interesting to hear non-English orchestras and conductors playing Elgar. Daniel Barenboim, for example, has established a strong tradition with his Staatskapelle Berlin, as heard at the BBC Proms this summer. Here in Paris, on the last leg of their first international tour, there was the opportunity to hear the Orchestre Métropolitain and Yannick Nézet-Séguin fully embrace the Enigma Variations in a heart-on-sleeve rendition that was as English as roast beef. Paired with a francophone first half of Berlioz and Saint-Saëns, the Montréal orchestra paid its respects to its twin cultural influences.
Marie-Nicole Lemieux and Yannick Nézet-Séguin
© François Goupil
Read the full review on Bachtrack.