“Marc Taddei, conductor and music director of the Vector Wellington Orchestra, has again hit the high spots with his programming. His concert of Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms and a semi-staged Bartok opera, Bluebeard’s Castle, drew uniform superlatives last year.
“I watched Taddei … selling Ives’ audaciously esoteric Putnam’s Camp from Three Places in New England to an audience of light listeners in Christchurch by telling them how Ives portrayed two different bands street-marching in different directions, metres, tempi and tunes. He had them eating out of his hand.
“This immediately empowered Taddei to transmogrify the CSO’s repertoire, suffering initially from bedsores induced by perpetual conservatism, to a large audience lapping up Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring and Taddei’s swan song concert of Strauss’ Four Last Songs with the noisy bravos and stamping of a rock audience. I imagine his communication skill with his audiences is one strong reason that Vector recently extended his contract..
“[Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2] gives every element of the orchestra a chance to shine, and Taddei handled it like the professional he is. He knew when to give and when to take.
Taddei conducted this nearly hour-long piece from memory and never faltered…
Take a bow, maestro.”
“Taddei held together all the elements with flair and ease. These were not easy pieces, and with him being in town for but a few rehearsals it could have been a difficult concert. It was, in fact, truly a difficult concert. But not if you were listening or watching. It was fiery.”
“The orchestral highlight was undoubtedly the VWO presentation of Bartok’s one-act opera Bluebeard’s Castle with Margaret Medlyn and Paul Whelan, conducted by Marc Taddei. The orchestra rose magnificently to the occasion.
Coupled with the Chapman Tripp NZ Opera Chorus for Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms this was imaginative programming at its best. Unquestionably the most memorable concert of the year. In fact, the Vector Wellington Orchestra provided the most consistently enjoyable concerts this year.”
“The performance was stunning. Marc Taddei drew forces together with enormous precision –The composer, who was present must have been delighted.”