"... ABSOLUTELY FIRST RATE!"

Gustav Mahler: Symphony No 2 in c Minor,
Concertgebouw Orchestra (Cond: Mariss Jansons), Netherlands Radio Choir (Cond: Celso Antunes), Concertgebouw Amsterdam
"The most beautiful Mahler II ever! … The softness and beauty from the first choral entrance ("Aufersteh'n, ja aufersteh'n") was simply to die for … and when the Groot Omroepkoor (Chief Conductor: Celso Antunes) reached the triumphal coda, here the emotional impact was almost unbearable..." Erik Voermans, Het Parool, December 4 2009

" Has it ever sounded so moving? ...The first soft, mystically whispered entrance of the Groot Omroepkoor (Chief Conductor: Celso Antunes) should resound poignantly until the end of the symphony - and so it was." Mischa Spel, NRC, December 5 2009

"The Groot Omroepkoor (Chief Conductor: Celso Antunes) was simply world class!... The majority of professional choirs performs this symphony's final outburst very well: but so homogenous and concentrated singing as in the hushed passages, and always understandable- match that if you can!" Thiemo Wind, De Telegraaf, December 7 2009

"Magical Mahler under Jansons... An unbelievably inspiring performance by the Concertgebouworkest and the Groot Omroepkoor (Chief Conductor: Celso Antunes)... The choir was unforgettable, particularly in the hushed passages "Aufersteh'n, ja aufersteh'n"..." Anthony Fiumara, Trouw, December 5 2009

"The playing by the Concertgebouworkest and the singing by the Groot Omroepkoor (Chief Conductor: Celso Antunes) were phenomenal... The choir at the end crowned Mariss Janson's unforgettable praise of innocence." Bela Luttmer, Volkskraant, December 5 2009

Contemporary Music from Brazil in Korzo5HOOG, Den Haag and Muziekgebouw aan't IJ, Amsterdam
Nieuw Ensemble, Cond: Celso Antunes
The Nieuw Ensemble under Celso Antunes came to this year's Gaudeamus Week with a very skillfully presented concert featuring seven young Brazilian Composers. Kees Arntzen, Trouw, September 14 2009

The Nieuw Ensemble conducted by Celso Antunes performed yesterday a programme including exclusively Brazilian composers, all of them showing a rich palette of different styles. From pop and free jazz elements on 'Brazilessencia' by Frederick Carrilho to the wonderful subtleties of Sergio Freire's 'Tecendo a manhã': the ensemble played with great assurance through all seven world premieres. Jochem Valkenburg, NRC Handelsblad, September 12 2009

Koorbiennale Haarlem 2009, Works by Einojuhani Rautavaara and Sven-David Sandström
Netherlands Radio Choir, Cond: Celso Antunes
"... on Sandström's pieces, the Groot Omroepkoor under Celso Antunes sounded glorious and warm... Antunes made the choir sound like a huge orchestra or even like a powerful organ... Helped by the acoustics at the St.Bavo Cathedral, Antunes extracted walls of sound from the choir, suddenly changing into subtle dynamic details and exploring special colours... On Rautavaara's Vespers, the Groot Omroepkoor demonstrated the whole palette of choral sound: from jubilant sonorities to whispers, from fortissimos to hissing consonants, from celebratory chords to glissandi...The richly shaded sound of the fantastically singing Groot Omroepkoor breathed the mystique of the Byzantine tradition." Winand van de Kamp, Haarlem Dagblad, July 2 2009

Goethe's "Theatralisches Abentheuer", Radio Philharmonie NDR Hannover, 20 February 2009
"The NDR-Radiophilharmonie's playing under conductor Celso Antunes was spirited, with Italianate fieriness and airiness. That's how "lighter" classical music should sound: enormously funny and always at a very high level." Neue Presse 23 February 2009

Igor Strawinsky: Symphony of Psalms
Concertgebouw Orkest, Cond. Zubin Mehta
Netherlands Radio Choir, Cond. Celso Antunes
On his second performance with the Concertgebouw Orchestra as guest conductor, 72 year-old maestro Metha generated subtle psalms, accurately shaped [Groet Omroepkoor, Cond. Celso Antunes]. Under his direction, Strawinskis score sounded noble and the performance resembled a spiritual experience. Lonneke Regter, De Volkskrant, 19.01.2009

Also with the Psalm symphony, Metha let music speak entirely for itself: Especially in the last part, when the Concertgebouw Orchestra and the sublime singing Groet Omroepkoor (Cond. Celso Antunes) seemed to melt in heavenly spheres, they created moments of unknown magic. Eddie Vetter, De Telegraaf, 16.01.09

Hommage to Cathy Berberian, Robert-Schumann-Saal Düsseldorf
The "Tippett Ensemble", eleven excellent instrumentalists who were conducted with precision by Celso Antunes, who is especially committed to contemporary music - presented a crossover-programme that was worthy of Berberian. Heide Oehmen, Rheinische Post, 30.4.2008

ABOUT RAVELS "DAPHNIS ET CHLOÉ
(Philharmonie Berlin, April 08):
"Maurice Ravel's "Daphnis et Chloé" with the Radio Symphony Orchestra Berlin at the Philharmonie was a great event… excellent: the Radio Choir Berlin under Celso Antunes…" Volker Hagedorn, Der Tagesspiegel, 17.4.2008

ABOUT ALLENDE-BLINS "REQUIEM FÜR EINEN HUND"
(Philharmonie Essen, Februar 08):
"This music sounds intense and vivid, subtle and never overloaded … Above all, because the Belgian "Het Spectra Ensemble" under Celso Antunes' competent direction were remarkably able to delve deeply into this highly dramatic work…" Christoph Dittmann, Westdeutsche Allgemeine, 08.02.08

"Drama, drama and more drama was the order of the night on Friday as the Ulster Orchestra performed Verdi's Requiem… Conductor Celso Antunes prepared us for fireworks and passion … by the close of the evening, the audience was left most assuredly with the hope that Antunes returns to conduct this or any other work he wants to, again and again. At the risk of using a made-up word, this was a conductorial tour de force: a big lengthy and complex work played with no interval, conducted with no score. Risky? Yes. Worth it? Yes. In the end, nothing could take away from the control and confidence of conductor Celso Antunes: his pacing was apt and calculated to give the big moments ample weight, even as the more introspective passages had room to breath and resonate." Andrea Rea, Newsletter, 20 November 2007

"It was good to witness an impressive performance in the Waterfront Hall given by the Ulster Orchestra… All credit to conductor Celso Antunes: he was impressive in that he conducted the whole piece from memory, bringing tremendous musicality and colour to the performance. Antunes kept a good balance between singers and the orchestra, despite the wide range of dynamic contrasts in a piece that moves continuously from moods of mystical spirituality to high drama. As well as the thrilling climaxes for which this work is justly famous, not least the Dies Irae, we also got moments of tremendous tenderness and intimacy." Ruth McCartney, Irish News, 19 November 2007

"Conductor Celso Antunes got the combined Belfast Philharmonic and Guinness Choirs off to a wonderfully atmospheric start in his Verdi Requiem with the Ulster Orchestra on Friday. It was good to hear so many of the work's moments of tenderness and warmth conveyed with sensitivity, the eruptions of the Dies Irae notwithstanding. The care with which Antunes sculpted individual choral lines and ensured musically sound balances was commendable, as was his concern never to overpower the vocal soloists!" Michael Dervan, The Irish Times, Nov 19 2007

"…Thanks to the SWR Symphony Orchestra and particularly to the SWR Vokalensemble Stuttgart (Cond: Celso Antunes), Rihm’s ‘Cantata hermetica’ receives a rapturous first performance…" Die Rheinpfalz, 10.11.07

"A brilliant, wildly applauded performance of Rihm’s new piece… Both the SWR Symphony Orchestra and the all times poignant and transparent sounding SWR Vokalensemble Stuttgart (Cond: Celso Antunes) act as the score’s deeply involved advocates …" Badische Zeitung, 06.11.07

"The Adhoc Ensemble and the solo singers, all directed by Celso Antunes, collaborated in what was a highly polished and expressive performance." NeueRuhrZeitung, 23 October 2007

"Under Celso Antunes'direction, all musicians, spread all over the church, could perform with absolute precision: the spatial sound effects were perfectly achieved." Westdeutsche Zeitung, 22 October 2007

"Celso Antunes conducted from the middle of the church, where all instrumental groups were scattered, getting from the players the most sensitive nuances" Gerd Zacher, 22 October 2007

"…The Camerata Fukuda and its Chief Conductor, Celso Antunes, started their concert with an impetuous and energetic rendering of C.P.E. Bach's string symphonies… Under Antunes's delicate and exhuberant direction, both Elgar's Serenade and Grieg's Holberg Suite sounded contagiously beautiful…" Lauro Machado Coelho, Estado de São Paulo, September 2007

"Brazilian conductor Celso Antunes knows how to get the most out of all dances, including Tangos and Mambos: This is sensational music making, the Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie plays for him with luxurious strings and with a lavish orchestral brass sound..." Mannheimer Morgen, June 2007

"Antunes conducted during the fast three hours of the concert bouncing, curling and knuckling himself, letting his hands speak and extracting the most out of the players... He's certainly made an impact on the musicians, the audience could feel the joy in the playing. Antunes is an effervescent conductor, with a fine feeling for rhythms and long cantabile lines..." Die Rheinpfalz, June 2007

"Antunes, appointed in 2002, transformed the choir from an honourably dull group that rarely lived up to its obvious potential into the most dynamic and forward-looking of performing ensembles that Ireland has ever known. His programming with the NCC has been unrivalled in its scope and daring, the choir regularly attracts the world's leading choral conductors for its concerts. […]The choir's five years under Antunes will be seen as a golden age for professional choral singing in Ireland." Irish Times, Editorial, February 2007

"The Camerata Fukuda under Celso Antunes plays Mozart's "Divertimento in F major" and Shostakovitch's Chamber Symphony opus 110" with brilliant verve and great passion: an absolutely lively and stirring performance!" O Estado de São Paulo, January 2007

"Celso Antunes has presented us with a moving new interpretation of Michael Tippett's oratorio A Child of our Time: with great accuracy, Antunes gets to the core of this emotionally highly charged music." O Estado de São Paulo, September 2006

"Energy and dramatic tension: These are the words that come to one's mind when listening to Celso Antunes' performance of Beethoven's "Eroica" - a performance full of vitality and accuracy!" O Estado de São Paulo, August 2006

"Celso Antunes proved again his masterly powers of evocation and passionate, direct presentation." Belfast Telegraph, June 2006

"Celso Antunes is one of those conductors who treats the most demanding of modern scores as a challenge to be met as painstakingly as a familiar classic. His Xenakis had that aura of fearlessness, of mastery of the almost but not quite impossible, which this composer's music needs...Antunes treated this music (Morales' Requiem) to a mesmerizing, sonorous, slow unfolding… As ever, Antunes's performances were notable for their fine observation of stylistic differences." Irish Times, July 2005

"The conductor Celso Antunes had a dynamic thrust that was at times simply dramatic, his command of the orchestra and chorus was absolutely first-rate!" Belfast Telegraph, March 2004

"Under the ‚Brazilian-Rheinländer' Celso Antunes the playing of Ensemble Contrasts delivers an always alert and flexible interpretation" Fono Forum, January 2003

"It is all colourful and original music, played by Ensemble Contrats under Celso Antunes with great precision and liveliness: together they competently bring to life nothing less than a musically and choreographically creative major event" Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, March 2003