A most enjoyable lunchtime in Enschede today listening to an open rehearsal for a ‘Music from the Orient’ concert which the Phion Orchestra are giving tomorrow evening in the Wilminktheater en Musiekcentrum, Enschede, with the young British conductor Bertie Baigent at the helm. The English teacher in me loved the masterclass in the use of modal verbs from this newest addition to the Phion Orchestra’s conducting roster, such was his politeness when addressing the musicians: ‘May we do…?’
We were treated to excerpts from Debussy’s Three Nocturnes performed by the amazingly talented Turkish/Dutch lyric soprano Aylin Sezer, who is well-known to audiences in the Netherlands after being cast as Violetta in the recent Reisopera production of La Traviata, amongst others. Her rich operatic sound filled the auditorium as the orchestral music of Debussy swirled and whirled below.
This is the second time in two weeks that the Phion horn section have really impressed me with their sound cutting through the rich orchestral texture and bringing a wonderful warmth.
Do try and catch this Phion concert either in Enschede, Apeldoorn, Nijmegen, Arnhem or the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.
Concert reviewed at the Wilminktheater en Muziekcentrum, Enschede on Thursday 2nd February 2023
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Further Reading:
A well-crafted and impressive Mahler 3 from Claus Peter Flor and the Phion Orchestra
