From a review by Lotte Thaler in the heavyweight Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung:
If the German national team had a coach like Yannick Nézet-Séguin, they would have easily reached the World Cup final. The fit Canadian is a conductor and wherever he appears with his orchestras, imaginary flags are waved. Orchestras clamour for him. He is principal conductor of the Metropolitan Opera in New York, music director of the Philadelphia Orchestra, conductor for life of the Orchestre Métropolitain in Montreal, and conductor emeritus of other ensembles.
There must be a reason for this: Yannick, as he’s known, is motivation incarnate. Under his direction, the musicians have no choice but to stay focused and play with all their might. Like a personal trainer he communicates with each individual, pushing them to peak performance. The man radiates such a passion for making music, such energy for strategic teamwork, such unbridled emotion that his fans erupt in cheers.
For the past few years, Yannick has curated the “Capitale d’été” festival in Baden-Baden, bringing all his orchestras with him, including the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in 2023. The Chamber Orchestra of Europe, whose honorary conductor is Nézet-Séguin, is always a regular participant, and with whom he recently revolutionized Schubert’s great C major Symphony: He obsessively tackled the often tedious repetitions, bringing the work to a menacing conclusion with violent string cuts. Since 2024, the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) has also been a part of the festival, with whom he made his Baden-Baden debut….
Und so weiter… here.
