Marc Albrecht
News
The eagerly awaited premiere of the new production of Puccini's "Tosca" at the Theater an der Wien will take place on Tuesday, 18 January 2022.
The production by Martin Kušej features an exquisite cast of singers at the Theater an der Wien with Kristine Opolais as Floria Tosca, Jonathan Tetelman as Mario Cavaradossi and Gábor Bretz as Scarpia. The ORF Radio Symphony Orchestra Vienna will perform under the musical direction of Marc Albrecht.
Further performances take place on
21, 23, 26, 28, 30 January 2022, 7.00 p.m.
ORF broadcast dates:
"Tosca" will be broadcast on 28 January at 9:20 pm on ORF 2 and on 5 February at 7:30 pm on Radio Ö1.
Marc Albrecht has been awarded the OPUS KLASSIK in the category Conductor of the Year for his production „Zemlinsky – Die Seejungfrau“. The album features Zemlinsky’s enigmatic symphonic poem, based on the fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen, through a series of vivid music motives and earned considerable acclaim all around. Trouw, for instance, wrote: "The performance is rich in detail, compelling and exhilarating. Marc Albrecht beautifully leads the strongly expanded orchestra, which plays brilliantly.“ – "A marvellous recording“, wrote rbb Kultur. "Marc Albrecht has always had the gift of bringing out transparency, light and filigree structures in these opulent, late-Romantic orchestral masses."
Released in June 2020, the recording marked the final PENTATONE album of Marc Albrecht as chief conductor of the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra.
The OPUS KLASSIK award ceremony will take place on October 10, 2021 in the Konzerthaus Berlin on Gendarmenmarkt and will be broadcast on German Television, the ZDF, on the same evening at 10:15 p.m.
On Wednesday, May 12, Marc Albrecht will conduct the Teatro Massimo Orchestra in a live-streamed performance of Schubert’s Symphony No. 3 and Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 “Titan”.
Written at 18 years old, Franz Schubert’s Third Symphony foreshadows ideas that would expand the scale of the symphony, while being notably short and concise. The piece is paired with Gustav Mahler’s “Titan” symphony, premiered in 1889 as a symphonic poem and one of his most famous works. The inner turmoil and stark contrasts that shape his music are already evident in his first symphony, leading to a jubilant finale in brilliant D Major.
The stream is part of the project #apertinonostantetutto (We keep going, regardless).
More information:
https://www.teatromassimo.it/eng/on-stage/concerts/daniel-harding-schubert-mahler.htm
Deutsche Oper Berlin will make their celebrated production of Korngold's "Das Wunder der Heliane", conducted by Marc Albrecht, available to stream on demand from February 18 to February 21.
The recording, released by Naxos in June 2019, just won the Opus Klassik award 2020 for Best Opera Recording of a 20./21. century opera. In 2018, the production was voted “Rediscovery of the Year” 2018 by the critics of Opernwelt magazine and earned considerable acclaim all round – Berliner Morgenpost, for instance, wrote: “But the real miracle of the evening happens in the pit. Marc Albrecht savours Korngold's sound frenzy for a good three hours, dims it only occasionally to strengthen individual performances and vocal moments. With great pleasure he devotes himself to the details that emerge from the sound waves, exposing layers, only to allow them to melt back into one another.”
Directed by Christof Loy, the cast includes Sara Jakubiak, Josef Wagner, Brian Jagde and Okka von der Damerau.
More information here: https://www.deutscheoperberlin.de/de_DE/das-wunder-der-heliane-als-video-on-demand
Photo: "Das Wunder der Heliane", director: Christof Loy, premiere 18.3.2018 Deutsche Oper Berlin, copyright: Monika Rittershaus
As of January 26, Marc Albrecht will be conducting “Capriccio” at the Opéra de Paris. Richard Strauss’ last opera – or “conversation piece”, as Strauss and librettist Clevens Krauss described it – tackles the question of the value relationship between sound and word in opera. Directed by Robert Carson, the cast includes Diana Damrau as the Countess Madeleine, as well as Wolfgang Koch, Pavol Breslik, Audun Iversen, Günther Groissböck, Ekaterina Gubanova and others. The production will run until February 21.
More information here:
www.operadeparis.fr/en/season-20-21/opera/capriccio
Marc Albrecht has been awarded the Prix d'Amis 2020 for his work as chief conductor of the Dutch National Opera and the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra from 2011-2020 by the Friends of Dutch National Opera. He will also be made a "Honorary Friend of Dutch National Opera". The jury praised Albrecht for his performances, his eye for aesthetics and his versatility in style: „He has made a difference as a top-level conductor". Marc Albrecht, who bade farewell this year after 9 years of head of DNO, will donate the money that comes with the prize to the Kersjesfonds, which helps young conductors improve their professional skills.
„What a great surprise and wonderful news to win the Prix d'Amis. I am honoured to get this award from the Friends and donors of Dutch National Opera for my tenure at Dutch National Opera and I would like to express my gratitude to everyone involved.
I have had to say goodbye to DNO and the Dutch audience in strange and sad circumstances because of the Covid-19 measures. My heart is still very much at Dutch National Opera, so I am very happy that by winning the Prix d'Amis and being made "Honorary Friend of Dutch National Opera" I will remain part of this family. This will once again strengthen our relationship and I am already looking forward to being "back in de bak" in the near future." (Marc Albrecht)
Photo: Marco Borggreve
The production of Korngold's "Das Wunder der Heliane" at Deutsche Oper Berlin, conducted by Marc Albrecht, has won the Opus Klassik award 2020 for Best Opera Recording of a 20./21. century opera!
A neglected masterpiece, the production was voted "Rediscovery of the Year" by the critics of Opernwelt magazine and earned considerable acclaim all round – Neue Musikzeitung, for instace, wrote: "How Marc Albrecht ignites and holds together the exuberant, velvety luxurious orchestral shimmer that would later serve as a blueprint for countless film scores is an experience." Directed by Christof Loy, the cast includes Sara Jakubiak, Josef Wagner, Brian Jagde and Okka von der Damerau.
The celebrated recording was released by Naxos in June 2019 and is available here: https://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=2.110584-85
Photo: Monika Rittershaus
Marc Albrecht and the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra ended the 2019/20 season on June 20 at Het Concertgebouw Amsterdam in front of a small live audience. For Marc Albrecht, it was the last season as chief conductor of the National Opera and the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra / Netherlands Chamber Orchestra. Though the audience was limited to 30 visitors due to Covid-19 restrictions, the concert – with music by Strauss, Mahler and Schumann – will be streamed on June 28 at 20:00 via Radio NPO 4 as well as the orchestra's Facebook and YouTube channels.
A farewell concert to mark the occasion will be held at a later date.
For his many contributions to the Dutch and international classical music landscape, Marc Albrecht has been appointed the knighthood of the Order of the Netherlands Lion. It is one of the oldest and highest civil orders in the Netherlands and is intended for extraordinary merits in science and the arts. He was awarded the order by Deputy mayor Touria Meliani on June 20 after a concert with the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra at Het Concertgebouw Amsterdam.
Find out more: https://www.operaballet.nl/nl/nieuws/2020/06/koninklijke-onderscheiding-voor-marc-albrecht
Marc Albrecht and the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra present Zemlinsky's symphonic poem Die Seejungfrau (The Mermaid). Lush and enigmatic, it is based on the fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen. Through a series of motives, Zemlinsky depicts the musical fantasy in vivid colours: from the bottom of the ocean through the storm to an exuberant ball, introducing the Mermaid through solo violin. This new recording marks the final PENTATONE album of Marc Albrecht as chief conductor of the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra.
The Dutch National Opera has launched a new platform "Keep on Singing on Dancing" to stream past opera performances while live performances are halted due to Covid-19. Besides streams of different operas that have been performed on their stage in recent years, the platform also offers articles, games and quizzes, personal video messages and tips from the Dutch National Opera singers, dancers and collegues. Practice-at-home videos, song and dance workouts and other challenges are also available, as well as an extensive programme for young viewers. The platform is continuously updated with new content: https://bit.ly/nob-online
On March 21, the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia will broadcast a performance of Schumann's Symphonies No. 2 and 4 as well as Brahms' "Schicksalslied", led by Marc Albrecht, on their website. The concert was originally played in March 2016 and is now being shown again as part of the #laculturainCasa initiative that brings music into people's homes.
Robert Schumann wrote the Symphony No. 2 in C Major – although composed in the state of the clearly emerging fatal illness, it is nevertheless an affirmation of life. It is paired with Brahms' personal reinterpretation of the idea of fate in his "Schicksalslied" and the Symphony No. 4, also by Schumann who wrote it as a birthday present for his wife Clara. Instead of traditional form and movements, he created a network of related themes, with a continuous development taking place. Although not being overly successfull at the premiere, today it is his most frequently performed symphony.
The concert will be streamed on http://www.santacecilia.it/concerti?fbclid=IwAR1HMBI7Kbor_Fx2nAcELrVRtm3C-BJsb35dzsQM_G5KpAdAGoK5u5ur3R0
The upcoming concerts with the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra next week have been cancelled due to Covid-19 safety regulations. No concerts will take place for the orchestra until the 31st of March. Please check the following website for further information: https://orkest.nl/en/coronavirus
On March 21 and 23, Marc Albrecht will conduct Olivier Messiaen's “Turangalîla Symphony” at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. Messiaen composed the symphony shortly after the end of the Second World War as a universal symbol of humanity and love – it is a work with an unusual instrumental set-up that includes the so-called Ondes Martenot, an electronic instrument nowadays rarely found within orchestral contexts. “Turangalîla” will be performed by the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, spearheaded by Albrecht as Music Director of the Dutch National Opera since 2011.
The Grammy nominations are out – and an opera production conducted by Marc Albrecht has been nominated for “Best Opera Recording”! The 2017 production of Alban Berg’s “Wozzeck” at the Dutch National Opera, and Music Director Marc Albrecht’s interpretation in particular, earned great critical acclaim – “Marc Albrecht lets [the score] glow and blaze,” wrote German critic Manuel Brug of newspaper Die Welt. The recording was released on Naxos in 2018. “Wozzeck” was performed by the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra as well as the Chorus of Dutch National Opera, directed by Krzysztof Warlikowski and the cast included Christopher Maltman as well as Eva-Maria Westbroek.
In the 1997/98 season Pierre Audi first presented his legendary Wagner Ring – to world-wide acclaim. "This production [...] is a triumph of timeless mythical magic and aesthetic clarity," wrote Dutch newspaper NRC about a rerun of "Die Walküre" in 2004. Precisely this production of "Die Walküre" is now returning to the Dutch National Opera for the very last time, starting on November 16, under the baton of Marc Albrecht. Because of George Tsypin's unique stage design, Wagner expert Albrecht will bring to life the score in the midst of the stage instead of the pit, surrounded by a cast that includes Michael König, Stephen Milling, Iain Paterson, Eva-Maria Westbroek as well as Martina Serafin.
Photo: Marco Borggreve / Dutch National Opera
September 9 will be all about Wagner for Marc Albrecht, as he will be celebrating the BBC Proms with a big Wagner evening. He thus revives an old Proms tradition, as composer-specific nights were an integral part of the festival’s early days. In the first half, the concert revolves around enchanted forests, which were among the most important symbols of German Romanticism. In the second part, Albrecht, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, soprano Christine Goerke and tenor Stephen Gould present scenes from Götterdämmerung.
In 2009, Marc Albrecht celebrated a notable success at Royal Opera House with Wagner’s “Fliegender Holländer” – this summer, he makes a return to Covent Garden: From June 19 he will be conducting a new production of Mussorgksky’s “Boris Godunov”, directed by Richard Jones. Bass-baritone Bryn Terfel takes over the titular role of the hesitant tsar.
Last year’s celebrated production of Korngold’s “Das Wunder der Heliane” at Deutsche Oper Berlin will be released on DVD by Naxos on June 14. The opera, which was conducted by Marc Albrecht, was voted “Rediscovery of the Year” 2018 by the critics of Opernwelt magazine and earned considerable acclaim all round – Berliner Morgenpost, for instance, wrote: “But the real miracle of the evening happens in the pit. Marc Albrecht savours Korngold's sound frenzy for a good three hours, dims it only occasionally to strengthen individual performances and vocal moments. With great pleasure he devotes himself to the details that emerge from the sound waves, exposing layers, only to allow them to melt back into one another.”
Photo: Monika Rittershaus
Marc Albrecht received the "Conductor of the Year" award at this year's International Opera Awards. At the award ceremony at Sadler's Wells in London on April 29, Leontyne Price amongst others was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement award. Albrecht, who last year directed the opening production "Ariadne auf Naxos" at Aix-en Provence Festival and the production "Das Wunder der Heliane" at the Deutsche Oper Berlin in addition to the productions at the Dutch National Opera House, thanked the jury for the award and emphasized the long and fruitful collaboration at the Amsterdam Opera House, whose chief position Albrecht has accompanied for more than ten years now.
Premiere night in Amsterdam: On April 6th Marc Albrecht will be conducting “Tannhäuser” at the Dutch National Opera – his fifth Wagner production at the DNO after “Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg,” “Parsifal,”“Lohengrin” and “Tristan und Isolde.” The production will be directed by Christoph Loy, with whom Marc Albrecht collaborated on the celebrated staging of “Das Wunder der Heliane” at Deutsche Oper in 2018. With its splendid choral movements, “Tannhäuser” is a true ‘singers’ opera’ – soloists include Daniel Kirch, Stephen Miling and Svetlana Aksenova. The production will be running until the 1st of May.
Photo: Monika Rittershaus
On February 13th, 14th and 17th, Marc Albrecht will substitute for Christoph von Dohnányi at the Teatro Alla Scala. He will conduct Anton Bruckner’s Te Deum in C major and the 4th Symphony.
As of December 6 2018 Marc Albrecht will be conducting “Oedipe” by George Enescu at the Dutch National Opera. The staging is directed by Àlex Ollé; Johan Reuter, Sophie Koch und Violeta Urmana are among the cast. The production was first premiered at the Théâtre royal de la Monnaie in Brussels in 2010 and will be running in Amsterdam until December 25.
Find more information here.
In October, Marc Albrecht’s opera debut in the USA is coming up, which he will celebrate with Strauss’ “Arabella” at the San Francisco Opera. The director Tim Albery, who Marc Albrecht has already worked with at the Royal Opera House in London, also makes his debut in San Francisco with this production.
First performance on October 16th, 2018.
Further information is available here.
Marc Albrecht continues his focus on Strauss with a new album. On this new CD, he combines the “Burleske” with one of Strauss’ most famous tone poems “Ein Heldenleben” and, thereby, presents two facets of the composer’s musical persona. The Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra and the pianist Denis Kozhukhin support Albrecht as musical partners for this recording.
A detailed press text can be found via this link.
Further information on this album are available here.
Biography
Marc Albrecht is one of the most exciting conductors on the opera and concert scene today. He is in demand internationally as a conductor of the German-Austrian late Romantic repertoire from Wagner and Strauss to Zemlinsky, Schreker and Korngold, and also cultivates with conviction the entire spectrum from Mozart to contemporary music.
Albrecht’s work with the orchestra is rooted in a chamber music approach; he loves and knows how to utilise the infinite sound possibilities of the large symphony orchestra, whilst simultaneously always allowing the sound to blend with the intimacy of the chamber orchestra. Even in the densely orchestrated symphonies of Bruckner and Mahler, Albrecht succeeds in an astonishing way in making the structure clear and letting the music breathe. With Marc Albrecht, an analytical approach and emotional music-making go hand in hand.
Albrecht’s artistic work has been honoured in numerous ways in recent years, and most recently was awarded the Opus Klassik 2021 as "Conductor of the Year". During his tenure as chief conductor, Dutch National Opera was named Europe's "Opera House of the Year" in 2016. In 2019, Marc Albrecht received the International Opera Award as "Conductor of the Year" and in 2020, he was awarded by the King of the Netherlands as Knight in the Order of the Lion of the Netherlands. He also received the Prix d'Amis 2020, awarded annually by the Friends of Dutch National Opera. In 2019, Dutch National Opera's 2017 production of Alban Berg's "Wozzeck" was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Opera Recording category. The DVD of the celebrated production of "The Miracle of Heliane" at the Deutsche Oper Berlin under Albrecht's musical direction, released in June 2019 on NAXOS, won the Opus Klassik in the category "Best Opera Recording 20th/21st Century" in 2020.
The Berliner Morgenpost wrote of the production in 2018: "But the real miracle of the evening happens in the pit. Marc Albrecht savours Korngold's intoxication of sound for a good three hours, (...). He devotes himself with great pleasure to the details that emerge from the waves of sound, uncovering layers only to let them merge with each other again straight away". "An exhilarating interpretation" is the verdict of the 2020 Tagesspiegel on the recording of Zemlinsky's "The Mermaid", and a 2019 BBC Proms Bachtrack review praises: "Albrecht [...] transported me to an ominous landscape the likes of which I had never experienced before in this music. By carefully highlighting particular solos or sections and adjusting the balance naturally, he not only did justice to the exuberant acoustics of the Royal Albert Hall: he exploited them to the full. [...] Albrecht's conducting tore [the music] from the page."
Guest conducting engagements will take Marc Albrecht to Milan, Taiwan, Dresden, Vienna, Dallas and Berlin in the 2021/22 season.
Career
Albrecht was deeply influenced by his mentor Claudio Abbado, as whose assistant he helped to build up and supervise the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra over a period of five years, following his studies in Vienna and his first répétiteur posts at the Vienna and Hamburg State Operas. He was appointed First Kapellmeister at the Saxon State Opera in Dresden and in 1995, at the age of 30, one of Germany's youngest general music directors at the Staatstheater Darmstadt.
In 2006 he took over the direction of the Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg, and in 2011 moved to Amsterdam, where opera once again became the focus of his work. In 2016, his contract was extended until 2020. In Amsterdam he has conducted Mozart's "The Magic Flute" and "Don Giovanni", Enescu's "Oedipe", Beethoven's "Fidelio", Verdi's "Macbeth", Wagner's "Meistersinger" and "Tannhäuser", "Elektra" by Strauss, "Der Schatzgräber" by Schreker, "The Gambler" by Prokofiev and the world premiere of Manfred Trojahn's "Orest", among others. Other milestones include the first staged version of Schönberg's "Gurre-Lieder", directed by Pierre Audi in September 2014, and Pierre Audi's legendary production of Wagner's "Die Walküre".
As a guest conductor, Albrecht has conducted operas by composers as diverse as Berlioz and Messiaen, Stravinsky, Mussorgsky and Martinů, B. A. Zimmermann and Zemlinsky, Berg, Henze and Wagner at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, in Brussels, Paris and Barcelona, the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, at the Salzburg Festival, and from 2003 to 2006 at the Bayreuth Festival.
Marc Albrecht appreciates the intensive collaboration with directors in opera productions, and particularly successful collaborations include those with Katie Mitchell and Christof Loy, Claus Guth, Herbert Fritsch and Krzysztof Warlikowski.
In addition, Albrecht has conducted the Berlin Philharmonic, the Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Munich Philharmonic, the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome, the Orchestre National de France, the NHK Symphony Orchestra Tokyo and the orchestras in Cleveland, Dallas, Stockholm, Oslo, Turin, Rotterdam and Birmingham.
Marc Albrecht has recorded extensively with the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra (Korngold, Ravel, Dukas, Koechlin, Berg, Schumann, Dvořák, Mahler, Strauss, Brahms/Schönberg) on the Pentatone label, and recordings of opera productions in Amsterdam on the Challenge label. In summer 2020, he presented Alexander Zemlinky's "The Mermaid" on his most recent Pentatone recording, for which he received the OPUS KLASSIK as "Conductor of the Year".
October 2021
Calendar
Media
"... bannende Ausstrahlung geht auch von Marc Albrecht aus."
Die Welt
Press Quotes
Der Schatzgräber in Berlin — the score is the star of Franz Schreker’s opera
[...] But the evening’s real hero is conductor Marc Albrecht. He has been fascinated by the piece for decades, and it shows. He knows just how to give full throttle to the score’s lush extremes without losing any of the detail; how to pull back for moments of whispering tenderness; how to hold his singers in the palm of his hand. The orchestra shows just how much more subtlety and refinement it can produce in the right hands. The piece lives and breathes.
Der Schatzgräber deserves more outings than this, and different takes on its strange story-line. But this is an excellent start, and the perfect way to hear an extraordinary score. [...]
Financial Times, Shirley Apthorp, May 4, 2022
Alexander Zemlinsky: Die Seejungfrau
A marvellous recording. Marc Albrecht has always had the gift of bringing out transparency, light and filigree structures in these opulent, late-Romantic orchestral masses.
rbb Kultur, July 2020
Marc Albrecht and the Nederlands Philharmonic Orchestra have created an exhilarating interpretation of Zemlinsky's tone poem "Die Seejungfrau".
Der Tagesspiegel, July 2020
Listening to this fine new recording from Marc Albrecht and the Netherlands Philharmonic, the neglect of Seejungfrau seems particularly baffling.
The Guardian, June 2020
The performance is rich in detail, compelling and exhilarating. (...) [Marc Albrecht] beautifully leads the strongly expanded orchestra, which plays brilliantly.
Trouw, June 2020
Marc Albrecht and the Netherlands Philharmonic show a close bond from the first note, so that the interpretative ideas are implemented with pinpoint accuracy. This then goes far beyond simply playing the notes. Rather, the musicians allow the colours and waves that are incorporated in the sea motifs to emerge clearly.
Pizzicato, June 2020
Albrecht and the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra shine in this recording. The deep sea, the sea witch, sunlight breaking on waves: they draw the mermaid's biotope with ease.
Volkskrant, June 2020
BBC Proms, London
“Albrecht's exciting performance [of Le Chasseur maudit] had momentum, and maintained tension even in the slow central part.”
“As music director of Dutch National Opera, Albrecht is an experienced Wagnerian and he drew all the strands together with theatrical relish, inspiring the RPO in the process.”
Daily Telegraph, September 2019
“Albrecht lifted this listener out of the concert hall and deposited me in a baleful landscape the like of which I'd never previously encountered in this music. By the careful highlighting of specific solos or sections, then allowing balance to follow naturally, he did more than conquer the Royal Albert Hall’s exuberant acoustic: he exploited it. This accursed huntsman's musical material may be thinly stretched over the 14-minute running time but Franck’s orchestral colours enrich it triumphantly and Albrecht’s conducting ripped it from the page.“
Bachtrack, September 2019
“[Marc Albrecht] coaxed some outstanding playing from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra: I have not heard them on such form in years.“
„Albrecht had also proved himself a master of transition in the Overture to Weber’s Der Freischütz – astutely programmed as a piece that worked magic on Wagner’s imagination – and in the wild ride of Le Chausseur Maudit by Franck.“
The Arts Desk, September 2019
“Albrecht showed – in the venue where Wagner conducted his own music in 1877 – how he has a deep understanding of German Romanticism and rarely can the RPO have sounded better at the Proms in recent years.”
Seen and Heard International, September 2019
Tannhäuser, Amsterdam
“Marc Albrecht and the Nederlands Philharmonisch Orkest manage to give an upbeat interpretation that is, at the same time, precisely balanced in its tempo proportions. It does justice to the Dresden core of the work […], as well as to its embedding in a morbid a “Tristan” diction.”
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, April 2019
“Masterful Staging”
“Albrecht, the orchestra and the phenomenal Choir of the National Opera are the “holy” trinity of this evening and deservedly earn loud applause.”
Trouw, April 2019
“The Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Marc Albrecht and the Koor van De Nationale Opera […] were the highlights of the premiere.”
Place de l'Opera, April 2019
“A huge Bravo to the phenomenal Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra. Wagner is, of course, wind in the sails of Marc Albrecht, who really outdid himself this time.”
Basia con Fuoco, April 2019
Oedipe, Amsterdam
“[...] thanks to Marc Albrecht, who will leave DNO as chief conductor at the end of 2020, the world premiere of this wonderful opera has become a musical event in a class of its own. Albrecht is audibly convinced of the rare quality of Enescu's score. He succeeded in motivating the Nederlands Philharmonisch Orkest and the Choir of the National Opera [...] to give it their all.”
Trouw, December 2018
“[The music in "Oedipe"] is unruly music that seems to flare up again and again and never looks back [...]. Nevertheless, conductor Marc Albrecht brings out all kinds of nuances in the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, from intimate interplay to overwhelming climax.”
Volkskrant, December 2018
“The decisive factor for the success of the performance, however, was the direction of Marc Albrecht, who for three hours made the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra sigh, scream, support, lament, growl and roar with warlike intensity.“
OpusKlassiek, December 2018
Arabella, San Francisco
“Marc Albrecht [...] led some of the best playing I’ve heard at War Memorial.”
San Francisco Classical Voice, October 2018
“The spectrum of colors, the motivic details, the phrasings and the volumes (considerable) that the maestro exploited did indeed verify masterpiece status if not outright awe for the score.”
Opera Today, October 2018
“Albrecht got the music to surge […], ebbing and flowing seamlessly with the action.”
Seen and Heard International, October 2018
“Those of us who appreciate the activities in the orchestra pit just as much as those on stage will be well justified in hoping that we shall see more of [Marc Albrecht]”
The Rehearsal Studio, October 2018
Ariadne auf Naxos, Aix-en-Provence
"Marc Albrecht stood at the podium and performed his magic: an enchanting and vibrant prelude full of nuances, and flourishing and voluptuous in the opera itself; he did not shy away from the grand emotional gestures. The assembled group of singers followed him meticulously, [...]"
Das Opernglas, September 2018
Tristan und Isolde, Amsterdam
„Feeling the music in every fibre of his being, one moment bending into his knees like a ballet dancer, the next stretching to his full height, swaying elegantly from left to right, his arms undulating in time with Wagner’s score and his fingers conjuring up the smallest dynamic nuances, conductor Marc Albrecht elicits a Liebestod of unprecedented orchestral beauty from the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, creating an emotional climax that elevates one to heights that make the scene on stage irrelevant. Musical drama at the very highest level!”
Opusklassiek, Paul Korenhof, January 2018
Eine florentinische Tragödie / Gianni Schicchi, Amsterdam
“Thanks to an inspired discovery, the works flow into each other seamlessly. By the end, your jaw has dropped from sheer surprise and admiration. All credit to the conductor Marc Albrecht, who suggested this combination.”
Gooi- en Eemlander, Hans Visser, 13 November 2017
“But conductor Marc Albrecht is proving to be an impeccable helmsman […], who manages to bring both musical worlds to life in his own, delightful way.”
NRC NEXT, Mischa Spel, 13 November 2017
“This is not to be missed.”
Het Parool, Erik Voermans, 13 November 2017
“Albrecht senses Zemlinsky’s harmonically saturated, over-ripe, practically fermenting music as perfectly as he feels the rushing, compact wantonness of Puccini.”
Trouw, Peter van der Lint, 13 November 2017
“Albrecht came up with the perfect compromise: a double bill, with Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi and Zemlinsky’s Eine florentinische Tragödie. […] Albrecht is fascinated by the idea that Puccini may have been closer to Arnold Schönberg’s inner circle – Zemlinsky was his teacher – than generally assumed.”
Het Parool, Erik Voermans, 7 November 2017
Wozzeck, Amsterdam
"The Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra excels in this revealing, constantly smouldering score, which culminates in one of the most magnificent orchestral epilogues ever written, as Albrecht and his musicians make time stand still. Pure class."
Trouw, Peter van der Lint, 21 March 2017
"Conductor Marc Albrecht feels the emotional stratification without fault, enabling the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra to take on its own persona, the brooding subconscious of the stage."
Volkskrant, Persis Bekkering, 20 March 2017
"The highest praise goes to Marc Albrecht and his Netherlands Philharmonic, who managed to bring even the minutest details of this vivacious orchestral score to life. (...) Albrecht meticulously built up the tension, creating an overwhelming emotional impact."
NRC Handelsblad, Joep Stapel, 20 March 2017
"The audience finally sprang to its feet for conductor Marc Albrecht and the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, who succeeded in infusing the expressive sounds of Berg with poetry."
Noordhollands Dagblad / Gooi- en Eemlander / Leidsch Dagblad - Hans Visser, 20 March 2017
"The ever-listenable Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra led by Marc Albrecht makes furious attempts to make itself heard above the visual distractions on stage. If you close your eyes, you hear that they’re on fire."
Telegraaf, Louis Gauthier, 20 March 2017
"The orchestral quality of the première performance was superb. A huge compliment to the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Marc Albrecht."
Place de l'Opera, Peter Franken, 20 March 2017
"The Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra and musical director Marc Albrecht manage to make Alban Berg’s originally atonal score flow smoothly, even giving it a melancholic and surprisingly soothing depth of sound. (...) The most remarkable aspect of Albrecht’s musical direction, his interaction with the soloists and the choir of the Dutch National Opera, is the way he manages to make the long, largely melodic lines of the late-Romantic music dominate the acoustic arrangement. More so than the atonality."
Theaterkrant, Kester Freriks, 19 March 2017
"The Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra led by Marc Albrecht, who veritably befriends the soloists, provides the superior quality we have come to expect from this orchestra. The life that this orchestra and conductor breathe into the score is pure magic."
Operagazet, Olivier Keegel, 19 March 2017
Parsifal, Amsterdam
"(…) the glorious sounds emanating from the pit. (…) Such an exalted level, this was a Parsifal for ages; gloriously sung, played and conducted. (…) Music director Marc Albrecht conducted a propulsive and perfectly-judged account of the work, aided and abetted by faultless playing by the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra. (…) Act III attained musical Nirvana, taking us to another plain that felt unworldly due to its transcendental beauty, whilst the choral singing was superb. Magnificent, sublime and extremely moving, this is a Parsifal that demands to be heard and seen."
musicOMH.com, Keith McDonnell, 6 December 2016
Bruckner 5th Symphony, NedPhO Amsterdam
"Marc Albrecht conducts the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra these days in a direct, well structured interpretation of Bruckner's Fifth. (...) Bruckner's music is flowing nicely. (...) The NedPhO sounds like a clock."
Parool, Roeland Hazendonk, November 2016
"Especially the creamy, blended string sound is a feature where the [orchestra] is clearly distinguishable. (...) Albrecht was confidently in control and knew to make room for a certain degree of mystery inbetween the inevitable rotating radar."
Volkskrant, Frits van der Waa, November 2016
Mahler 5th Symphony, NedPhO Amsterdam
"Don’t miss Mahler with Marc Albrecht: visionary
Almost imperceptibly Marc Albrecht, chief conductor of the Netherlands Philharmonic, is working on a Mahler cycle about which one would want to write in capital letters. Earlier Albrecht conducted the symphonies 1 to 4 and 6, the Ninth follows next season and this week sees the Fifth. Planning of the remaining works is in progress: Albrecht’s contract runs until at least 2020.
What makes Albrecht’s Mahler so unique? His approach has integrity, is intelligent and sensitive – and never schwärmerisch, despite the dynamic extremes between roaring fff and the almost inaudible ppp (Adagietto) he achieves.
It resulted Saturday in a performance of the Fifth that was moving but also striking because of the significance he gave to certain accents. The erratic was highlighted, the Stürmisch bewegt sounded energetic and potent but impressed especially by the way Albrecht made the vitality swell from the lower strings by one sweep of his arm. Just as clever and tasteful: how in the Scherzo he let the strings hang back (with a deeply melancholy effect)
Albrecht conducts a Mahler that makes you love Mahler! Raw emotions never change into hysteria and the visionary of the score is underlined throughout."
NRC Handelsblad, Mischa Spel, April 2016
Arabella, Amsterdam
"Those key moments register with the necessary emotional power, but conductor Marc Albrecht never feels indulgent (…) Albrecht’s orchestra (…) revealing a great deal of the score’s bustling inner detail and melismatic counterpoint."
Gramophone, Hugo Shirley, February 2016
Mahler Symphony No. 4
"Conductor Marc Albrecht makes his points without exaggeration, revealing personal touches in his care for proper observance of Mahler’s dynamics and his concern for textural clarity."
classictoday.com, David Hurwitz, January 2016
Der Rosenkavalier, Amsterdam
"It is rare to hear a terzetto so excellently balanced and emotional. And it was greatly due to Marc Albrecht and the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra […] Albrecht pushed the music to an unbelievable peak."
Trouw, Peter van der Lint, 8 September 2015
"It couldn’t have been so overwhelming if it weren’t be supported by the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra and its conductor Marc Albrecht, an ideal couple […]"
De Volkskrant, Frits van der Waa, 7 September 2015
"The achievements of the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra were phenomenal. […] Marc Albrecht knew like no other how to give space to the music by leading the orchestra tightly and to make the underlying tensions of Strauss’s music tangible."
Theaterkrant, Oswin Schneeweisz, 7 September 2015
Contact
General Management:
KD SCHMID
Königstraße 36
30175 Hannover
Germany
www.kdschmid.de
Julia Albrecht (Director)
julia.albrecht@kdschmid.de
+49 (0)511 3660739
Jan-Christian Nauck (Associate Director of Coordination)
jan-christian.nauck@kdschmid.de
+49 (0)511 3660722