Karina Canellakis makes her debut with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

All eyes were firmly on Karina Canellakis in this her debut night conducting the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in a programme full of extremes of emotion. Canellakis is well known to audiences in the Netherlands as chief conductor of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, and to audiences in the UK as principal guest conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

After a first half which featured German-American violinist Augustin Hadelich playing Sibelius’ Violin Concerto in D Minor, attention was turned to Wagner’s Prelude and Liebestod from Tristan and Isolde

Canellakis makes her debut conducting the RCO

Karina Canellakis conducting the RCO with Axel Schacher, guest leader — Karina Canellakis and the RCO with guest leader Axel Schacher © Milagro Elstak

Also on the programme, Scriabin’s Poem of Ecstasy

Last performed by the RCO in 2014, Scriabin’s Poem of Ecstasy concluded the proceedings. It requires quite a large orchestra – eight horns, five trumpets, six percussionists, one celeste and two harps. Principal trumpet, Omar Tomasoni was the star!

The RCO trumpet section post performance | Omar Tomasoni © Nicco Logaudenzi , Hans Alting, Bert Langenkamp and Jacco Groenendijk — The RCO trumpet section post performance | Omar Tomasoni
📸 Nicco Logaudenzi , Hans Alting, Bert Langenkamp and Jacco Groenendijk

The orchestra had lots of new players this evening as the entire front desk of violins (deputy concert meister, Tjeerd Top was busy leading the Rotterdam Philharmonic) and nearly the entire lower brass section were missing, but still lots of the familiar faces.