“It was, quite simply, Marc Taddei’s show. He directed with an absolute vision of just what this pantheistic view of the world, couched in the words of the Ordinary Mass, can actually mean. In Taddei’s hands the view that the Missa Solemnis is really a choral symphony also made sense.”
“Conductor Marc Taddei certainly seemed like a man possessed throughout, inspiring his musicians to put themselves on the line and give it all they had. At the same time, his sense of the work’s overall structure remained admirably clear-sighted, so that, in his hands the work sounded every bit like the masterpiece that it’s reputed to be.
This was a performance that I’m sure will be talked about for a long time to come – all credit to conductor, choir, orchestra and soloists for their part in creating our very own and much-cherished version of the stuff musical legends are made of.”
“McLeod’s illuminated tapestry of instrumental sounds, rendered with the utmost skill by a chamber-sized group of players drawn from the Vector Wellington Orchestra, here under the guidance of conductor Marc Taddei.”
“a most extraordinary release. I guarantee it contains music like you’ve never heard before and that will leave you emotionally shattered and physically drained. …the performance and the recording are stunning, impactful, and overwhelming.
…Gold stars to all involved in this production…”
“The concert will be] best remembered for the rip-snorting performance of Berlioz’ Symphonie Fantastique. … In the excitement of the last two movements [Taddei] took no prisoners with wonderfully precise, snarling brass, bass drums walloping away and a breathtaking sense of the almost visually illustrative visual nature of this visionary piece was breathtaking.”