reviews.
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Orchestra Wellington’s Wozzeck: triumphant capture of Berg’s conception - Five Lines (NZ)
15 November 2023
The production itself, a few days ago, was nothing short of astonishing.
Marc Taddei is a visionary, one of the most talented concert programmers in the country, and a persuasive salesman. He regularly cajoles the large, loyal Orchestra Wellington audience into joining him on adventurous musical journeys. They’ve learned to trust him.
Taddei is to be congratulated for his huge commitment to this ground-breaking production of Wozzeck. He has shown deep insight into both Berg’s musical intentions and the composer’s compassion for the poor and disempowered. Taddei has also drawn into his artistic vision wonderfully talented performers, many singing a role debut, alongside an inventive creative team. This may not have been the most flawless performance of Wozzeck ever presented, but it absolutely and triumphantly captured Berg’s modernist conception. Unforgettable!
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Wozzeck - Regional News
11 November 2023
Discordant, atonal, brutal, distressing? Yes! Wonderful? Yes!
It was a bold decision to perform it. It cannot be an easy work for soloists, chorus, or orchestra. Orchestra Wellington is to be congratulated for programming Wozzeck and all performers for pulling it off so successfully.
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History in the making in 2023 – Alban Berg’s opera “Wozzeck” performed “live” for the first time in New Zealand - MiddleC.org
11 November 2023
It’s the stuff this country’s musical legends are made of…
Conductor Marc Taddei’s wondrous grasp of the ebb and flow of these disarming contrasts and his players’ ability to deliver the full range and force of their extremes made in itself an unforgettable impression.
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REVIEW: (m)Orpheus (NZO) - Theatre Scene
15 October 2023
This collaboration between NZ Opera and Black Grace offers an intimate staging of Gluck’s 1769 opera Orpheus and Eurydice. The combination of Gareth Farr’s refined re-orchestration and Neil Ieremia’s guidance as both director and choreographer produces a largely accessible and compelling reimagining of the tragic Greek myth.
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Anton Webern steals the show! – Orchestra Wellington and Marc Taddei with “Pharaoh” - MiddleC.org
07 October 2023
Music Director Marc Taddei’s extraordinary empathy with young musicians demonstrated a heart-warming variety of delights throughout the presentation’s opening segment of music-making.
And, as I walked to my car after the concert, the thing I found myself wanting to do the most was to get home and play that sensational Webern work again! It was , for me, the evening’s indisputable highlight, and I remain grateful to Marc Taddei and his players for THAT most of all – a truly remarkable experience!