Vienna Symphony Orchestra February 2005
Tchaikovsky: Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No 2 G-major Op 44.
Soloist: Elisabeth Leonskaja
Beethoven: Symphony No 3 E flat major Op 55 “Eroica”

Wiener Zeitung
The Substitute as the Sensation.
As a rule “stand-in-bonus” refers to the indulgence shown on the part of musicians and audiences towards an artist who is called upon to perform at short notice. Arild Remmereit has redefined the term. In his case, it was the musicians and the audience who got the bonus.

Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos had to cancel his on account of illness. Thomas Angyan (Director of the Musikverein) took the risk and staked on the Norwegian conductor – up to now viewed as an insider tip – for which reason part of the artistic triumph is
due to him and to the players who did not succumb to the slightest touch of indolence and performed one of their most exciting recent concerts, one of those concerts of which those who heard it may one-day say “ I was there”.

The first part featured Tchaikovsky’s best piano concerto, his Second. Naturally, this Concerto in G major, a peculiar mixture of symphonic and virtuoso concertante passages, including a slow moment which is virtually a triple concerto, was in best hands with the soloist Elisabeth Leonskaja. Because Leonskaja not only trumped with virtuosity, but imparted to the piece a lightness and grace that in the finale did not sound at all Russian but almost breathed the air of Montmartre. Remmereit chose judicious balances, thereby counteracting the starchy orchestration. And he, well-versed accompanist, backed the solo part with exquisite tonal beauty marked by ethereal lightness and nobility.

And then, the sensation of the evening: Remmereit’s interpretation of Beethoven’s Third, executed by the Vienna Symphony with unequalled precision; an interpretation that ranges with the audacious readings ventured by Bernstein, Harnoncourt and Rattle, Remmereit wisely avoiding Rattle’s irritating mannerisms.
For Remmereit Beethoven is primarily a rhythmic symphonist. Already in the first movement he succeeded in building up tensions out of the motor rhythms and to develop the drive of the frenetically intensified dance. Remmereit has the second movement performed with very slow tempi. Every single rhythmic detail, each syncope, each sforzado hits home like a blow to the pit of the stomach. It is almost as if Mahler where nearby. This Funeral March has nothing ceremonial about it. It borders on nihilism. Comforting passages are afloat like unrelated islets. For solace has lost its significance in an environment where persistent rhythmic forms only signal torpor.
How Remmereit manages to overlay the dark shadows of this great, infinitely oppressive march into the obsessively speeding scherzo, and to make evident the intrusion of this tragic quality also in the emphatically agitated finale, is unique. Here it becomes obvious that Remmereit does not interpret movement by movement, but conceives the “Eroica” as a unit which is subdivided into four aspects. At no single moment does one forget what came before. At every moment there is an indication of the way ahead. Even though this way will lead into a dizzy abyss, something the sybaritic music consumer may not wish to hear in this supposedly hackneyed work.
The wild, shocking, crazy and at the same time ingenious Beethoven interpretation polarises: the audience responded to the performance after the final chord half-and-half with a hurried exodus or with ovations in which the sensational performance of the players as a body and as individuals where also acknowledged.
A great moment!


Die Presse
Routine versus refreshing music-making.
Kurt Masur gave a guest performance in the Konzerthaus, a young substitute surprised at the Musikverein. (Vienna)
His name is Arild Remmreit, he comes from Norway and has passed the test in the “Golden Hall” brilliantly: Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos had to cancel his appearance with the Vienna Symphony on account of illness. Remmereit took over the concert and the programme: Tchaikovsky’s rarely performed Second Piano Concerto with Elisabeth Leonskaja as soloist, and Beethoven’s “Eroica”. Full of drive, with a wealth of ideas and deep musicality, the high-spirited conductor blended the orchestral sound with subtle shading. Fresh and accentuated: the first movement of the Symphony in E flat major. In the Funeral March, Remmereit was able to create enormous tension while maintaining a precariously slow tempo. At times the structures he made apparent with dynamic finesse were absolutely striking. He corrected minor insecurities in the Scherzo with concise and pithy gestures, in the finale he produced a balancing between enigmatic drama and roguish nobility.

Kronen Zeitung
Arild Remmereit, replacing Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, directed the highly responsive Vienna Symphony. What an opportunity for the young Norwegian!
With precise entries and dramatic creative drive, Arild Remmereit won the acclaim of the orchestra and the audience. In Beethoven’s “Eroica” he demonstrated technical maturity, an elegant extrovert style of conducting, and perfect power of interpretation and creative urge.

Munich Philharmonic Orchestra January 23-24-25. 2005
Prokofiev: Sinfonia Concertante for cello and orchestra in e minor opus 125.
Soloist: Han-Na Chang.
Tschaikovsky: Symphony no 5 in e minor opus 64.

Süddeutsche Zeitung
Tchaikovsky as an event.
The Munich Philharmonic Orchestra with Arild Remmereit dazzle with a demanding programme.
He stepped in for Antonio Pappano who had fallen ill, and won with the Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No.5 and the brilliantly disposed Munich Philharmonic Orchestra at Gasteig: Arild Remmereit, Norwegian, 43 years old of age.
The star in the first part was the Han-Na Chang in Prokofjev’s fantastically complex and highly virtuosic Sinfonia Concertante for Cello and Orchestra, op 125.
The core of the 40-minute work is the fast middle movement with its ever-changing patterns, incorporating multiple delicate sostenuto intermezzi of the cello. Han-Na Chang played with instinctive certainty and eloquence staked everything on one card in the virtuoso passages – and was victorious, preferred, though, in the quieter passages to fascinate with a bittersweet, sinewy tone.
While the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra had already been a reliable partner in this exacting Prokofjev Concerto and Arild Remmereit a precise and inspiring conductor, the performance of Tchaikovsky’s Fifth turned out to be an event. It is rare to hear this symphony with such a sensational fervour, with such intensity, with such full and intensive climaxes, and yet with such a tonal balance that despite a triple forte there is never an impression of indiscriminate noise. Remmereit modulated transitions and ritardandi in a sensitive and prudent manner, and gave proof of an unfailing understanding of the architecture of the piece.
Already the slow introduction was rendered con anima and with sustained breath. The trios between the subtly swinging waltz passages in the third movement vibrated with nervous tension. The finale, however, outshone everything: it was so structured by Remmereit that it evoked a feeling of perpetual acceleration.
Ovations.

Münchner Mercur
Cancellations bring chances – at least for the substitute: Arild Remmereit seized the chance when he appeared for the first time on the podium of the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra to stand in for Antonio Pappano. It is to be assumed that it will not have been the last time for the Norwegian conductor, highly acclaimed by the audience, to appear in Gasteig. For the orchestra gladly accepted Remmereit’s challenge, and in Tchaikovsky’s Fifth evoked memories of the times of Celibidache. At least as far as the refinement of sound was concerned; as for the tempo, the 43 years old Norwegian was somewhat faster.
Even though accelerandi were performed at turbo speed, culminating in multiple forte of the final movement, Remmereit did not betray the music for with superficiality. With extreme sensitivity had he listened in the preceding movements, had made the Orchestra respond to a suggestive, broad Andante at the beginning with an incredible lightness and ease in the Allegro. He illuminated Tchaikowsky’s score dynamically as well as agogically in a deeply refined way, and relied on muscularity and firmness in the massive eruptions so that the music never had a chance of adding on fat.
Already in the rarely performed exacting Cello Concerto by Prokofiev, Remmereit had furnished proof of his excellent craftsmanship - as a reliable co-ordinator between orchestra and a phenomenal soloist. The young Korean Han-Na Chang astouned with complete mastery. She paid all due to the piece dedicated and first performed by Rostropovich, displayed technical brilliance – wild runs, chromatic passages, virtuous bowing – and was musically convincing throughout. Whether she threw herself with temperament and power into the rhythmical attacks or made the cantilenas sing with abandon: it was an event.

Brno Philharmonic Orchestra February 2004
Grieg, Nielsen, Sibelius

Rovnost
The whole evening was filled with impressions from the north with its characteristic mentality and meditative accent. Grieg’s “Norwegian Dances” was a pleasant excursion to the world of folklore, harsher and wilder than the Chech one.
In Nielsen’s Clarinet Concerto Dimitri Ashkenazy fascinated the audience with delicate differentiation of tone and colour in his brilliant music making.
Sibelius’ 2. Symphony was the highlight of the program. Arild Remmereit unfolded his potential; expressionism, ability to form the sound to enormous contrasts, and to build an entirety. He created almost pictorially vivid images of the North with its monotonous width, nostalgia and with tempestuous -sometime even in Wagnerian way suggestive- impulses, and he instigated the orchestra to an absorbed performance. The moments of cathartic rebirth of the theme in the conclusion belonged to the most impressive moments of the concert.

Tonkünstler Orchestra February 2004
Weber, Schuman, Bruckner.

Wiener Zeitung
In Musikverein:
Arild Remmereits interpretation is extremely risky. He exposes the skeleton of the work, and manages to make even the less successful passages in Bruckner´s work audible. The modernity of the work opens up. Remmereit’s grasp is daring and entitled.
The orchestra knew how to transfer the conductor’s ideas precisely, with a beautiful sound, polarized and exciting.
Schumann’s “Celloconcerto” can also be a child of problems: Far too rich instrumentated it gives the soloist few possibilities to expose himself. Remmereit mastered the piece of art to make an ideal balance between the orchestra and the soloist.
Remmereit interpreted Weber’s “Overture to Euryante” with drama and powerful sound. But he allowed the stringplayers to sing out wonderfully, and the winds to play with brightness and brilliance.
An excellent piece, full-blooded, exciting and marvelously performed by Remmereit and the Tonkünstler.

Württemberg Philharmonic February 2004
Nielsen, Sibelius, Grieg.

Reutlinger Nachrichten.
Distant closeness, close distance.
Arild Remmereit as a guest conductor: “As when the sun rises in the North”. The Philharmonics and their brilliant guest conductor fetched the mind-blowing, tempting and exciting Scandinavia.
It was like a lucky strike to see the Norwegian conductor on stage with the Philharmonic. When he conducts the Dane Nielsen, the Finn Sibelius and the Norwegian Grieg, one can really feel that this man has the locally marked music floating in his blood.
It was impressive to experience Remmereit’s taste and skills, how he understood and interpreted the score of Carl Nielsen’s “Helios-Ouverture”, how he let the volume and tempo rise gradually with electric excitement and with a magic sound call for the sunrise. A truly astonishing spectacle of nature put into music where conductor and orchestra succeeded overwhelmingly.
Also in Grieg’s music to Ibsen’s “Peer Gynt”, we could hear such gratifying moments of buoyant music making rooted on deep sympathy and response between conductor and musicians. The accuracy, the impulsiveness and striking elegance of Remmereit’s conducting (without baton, without score), and his charismatic stream of impulses – streaming like sort of a fluid - the musicians received with enthusiasm and carried out in the same spirit. Great ovations for orchestra and conductor, a conductor who should be invited back to Reutlingen as soon as possible.


Reutlinger General-Anzeiger.
Landscape of sound filled with light and darkness.
The Württemberg Philharmonic presented a lyrical Scandinavian program. Intensive descriptions of the atmosphere, of mood, space and light with an attraction towards dance, ran as a thread through the program. Pictures of landscape, filled with sounds, – sometimes light and brilliant as if the horizon would open towards the sunrise as in the Dane Carl Nielsen’s “Helios-Ouverture”, sometimes gloomy and ragged as in the Finn Jean Sibelius’ “Violinconcerto”, or cultivated as bizarre fantasy as in the Norwegian Edward Grieg’s incidental music to “Peer Gynt” by Ibsen.
Arild Remmereit (Grieg’s countryman) conducted with calm, but determined hands, - but also when needed with large and wilder movements, and the Philharmonic gave a concentrated performance.
The cosmic humming in the cello-group at the beginning of the “Helios-Ouverture”, the demanding solo for the horn which indicated the sunrise, the calm and solemn sound of the strings and the trumpet-fanfare: Everything was just as it should be, and a wonderful panorama of sounds opened up for the audience.
How the end of “The Death of Aase” in a hypnotic way was extracted, - how the color of the sounds in “In the Hall of the Mountain King” was shaped into almost offensive nuances, - how the tempo in the stringparts of “Arabian Dance” went through a fine change, - all things showed us that underneath the surface of these pieces there are seething life and powers. We have never heard Grieg’s music like this before.

Schwäbisches Tagblatt.
Württenberg Philharmonic had dedicated this concert to Scandinavian composers, and they opened with “Helios-Ouverture” by Carl Nielsen. The guest conductor Arild Remmereit shaped this harmonically original symphonic poem into something really exciting. He took his time to prepare the breakthrough of dawn with brilliant brassinstruments; marked the way to Zenith with discrete acceleration and at the end he risked the utmost pianissimo.
Grieg’s incidental music to Ibsen’s drama “Peer Gynt” is rich on variation. Remmereit understood how to let the colors of the instrumentation appear: Exciting horns in “Morning Mood”, “The Death of Aase” as string-requiem, janizary ding-a-ling from the percussionists in “Arabian Dance”, - enchantingly succeeded.
He even let the turbulent scherzo in the finale of “In the Hall of the Mountain King”, the lively accelerando ending, reappear “Da Capo”.
The orchestra obviously understood to get carried away by this excellent guest conductor.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Young conductor energizes Symphony

 

Arild Remmereit – Creative at the podium.

An infectious energy surrounded the slender figure during the program of Scandinavian music – Nielsen’s Symphony No.1 and Grieg’s Suite from “Peer Gynt” – and Hummel’s Trumpet Concerto, featuring George Vosburgh. With this music squarely in his wheelhouse, Remmereit’s confidence abounded. And as the concert progressed, his motions became increasingly creative: circular conducting, dance steps, arms at his side and, at times, shaking his entire body with emotion.

 Remmereit understands how to conduct the larger line.

 

The well-known melodies of Grieg’s ”Peer Gynt” made for the perfect send-off under the vivacious baton of this rising star.

 

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Led by the energetic young Norwegian conductor Arild Remmereit, the concert featured a spectacular concerto performance by principal trumpet George Vosburgh.

Remmereit was even more impressive Thursday than at his successful Heinz Hall debut two seasons ago.

 

He began by introducing the orchestra and audience to the First Symphony of Carl Nilsen.

Remmereit effectively mixed energetic tempi with sensitivity to more spaciously moving lyricism. The orchestra responded with alacrity to the conductor’s persuasive approach.

Remmereit concluded with seven movements from the incidental music Edvard Grieg wrote for Henrik Ibsen’s play “Peer Gynt”. The colorful ”Arabian Dance” was a perfect prelude to one of Grieg’s most inspired creations - the ”Morning Mood” that not only features a great tune but also wonderful development of the initial idea.

 The conductor emphasized the grotesque aspects of ”In the Hall of the Mountain King” through accents and tone color, before building to a climax.

 

There’s much more wonderful Norwegian music for Remmereit to bring to future Heinz Hall appearances, but the sense of fun in his music making will serve any genre well.

Württemberg Philharmonic Reutlingen, Germany September 2006
Mussorgsky: Night on the Bare Mountain
Mozart: Piano Concerto No.9, KV 271(Jeunehomme)
Soloist: Jasminka Stancul
Borodin: Symphony No.1

Wiener Zeitung
Rhythm, the Pulse of Life.
Meeting again the Norwegian conductor Arild Remmereit in “Musikverein”.
Alexander Borodin’s fascinating, but enormous difficult first symphony; The orchestra performed so to speak beyond its limitations. The first movement so full of energy, the Scherzo exactly pointed out, powerful singing intensity in the slow movement, frenetic increasing tumult in the finale, --- even the most critical connoisseur melted together with the numerous audience in ovations. Fulminating!

Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Texas June 2006           
Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 23. soloist Kit Armstrong
Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 3 (“Scottish”)
 
The Dallas Morning News
Arild Remmereit proved to be a wonderfully musical conductor, caringly molding phrases and balancing textures – and in the Mendelssohn Scottish Symphony whipping up high drama.
The Mendelssohn was riveting start to finish. In the mysterious introduction, phrases rose and fell boldly with generous room for breath between.
The ensuing Allegro agitato was true to its word, the storms splendidly tempestuous. Mr. Remmereit took the scherzo’s assai vivace marking quite literally too, pressing Scottish dance to the edge of the possible. The slow movement was as lovingly contoured as a great singer’s aria., and there was plenty of snap and crackle to the literally warlike finale. The Symphony gives the horns several chances to shine, and the DSO contingent shone every time.
Well – deserved applause.

Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, Japan May 2006
Grieg: “Peer Gynt” Suite No.2
Rachmaninoff: Paganini-Rhapsody, soloist Shota Nakano
Sibelius: Symphony No.2

Ongakunotomo
The concert opened with Grieg’s “Peer Gynt” Suite No.2.
Remmereit’s conducting was highly lucid and powerful. He showed his personal and sincere intensions in performing the four movements attacca creating an atmosphere of a beauteful symphonic poem.
Sibelius’s Symphony No.2 was very impressive. Remmereit demonstrated the composer’s strength by expressing a frank and youthful sensibility in his own individual way, without being attempted to fall too deep into the naturalistic atmosphere of Northern Europe.

National Arts Centre Orchestra, Ottawa April 2006

Grieg: “Peer Gynt” Suite No. 2
Glazunov: Violin Concerto, soloist Hilary Hahn
Sibelius: Symphony No. 2

The Ottawa Citizen
Sibelius crowning glory to evening.
The program began with an unusually detailed and colourful interpretation of Grieg’s “Peer Gynt”, Suite No. 2. The Orchestra played with great gusto, and conductor Remmereit was clearly at home with this score..
Violist Hahn was next up with the Glazunov. Hahn’s partnership with the conductor and orchestra found exactly the right combination of quality to bring it off nicely.
The evening’s crowning glory, however, was the Sibelius. Remmereit and the orchestra crafted a performance that was remarkable not only for it’s attention to the composer’s countless little gestures of phrasing and colour, but also for the extraordinary emotional continuity they brought to the symphony.

Nashville Symphony Orchestra March 2006
Berlioz: Roman Carnival Overture
Sibelius: Violin Concerto, soloist Sarah Chang
Rautavaara: Isle of Bliss (Lintukoto)
Debussy: “La Mer”

“The Tennesseean”
The Nashville Symphony Orchestra opened under the inspired baton of young Norwegian-born conductor Arild Remmereit - a dashing, rising classical star who should be, and likely is, a strong contender for this orchestra’s vacant music director post.
Remmereit’s ambitious program, warmly received by a sizeable audience, was largely made of Finnish music, with a potent French chaser. It proved the perfect showcase for an ensemble edging ever closer to a meaningful presence on the wider classical scene.
It was here – in this masterwork representing the French composer’s most ambitious writing for orchestra – that Remmereit and this orchestra best blended their thinking. They created in the process, an exhilarating half-hour of music.

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Juni 2005

Rimsky-Korsakov: Russian Easter Overture
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No 1. Soloist: Kit Armstrong
Prokofiev: Symphony No. 7

The Washington Post
Norwegian-born conductor Arild Remmereit proved again his mettle by stepping in -----He led the Orchestra in a particularly smooth and powerfully effective performance of Prokofiev’s Symphony No.7. From the darkly intense opening, conductor and orchestra together captured wry irony in the lighter portions of the work and sweeping drama in the Russian romanticism.
The orchestral soloists well deserved the standing ovation for Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Russian Easter Overture”. They all held forth mightily and lyrically. All the players looked elated as Remmereit brought the peace to a very thrilling conclusion.

Pittsburgh Symphony April 2005

Wagner: ”Siegfried Idyll”
Schumann: Symphony No. 4
Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2. Soloist: Garrick Ohlsson
 
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Conductor Remmereit is a star in the making.
He had Schumann’s Symphony No. 4. “firmly in his grasp, his confidence and leadership soared in a vibrant reading. With every measure, the conductor emerged further from his shell. The PSO opened a bit rough, musty in timbre and uneven in the acceleration, but soon surged forward with momentum and clarity”.
“The finale’s quick crescendos snapped with vigour, displaying the conductor’s passion”.
 
The New York Times
He came, he conducted, he conquered.
At the start of the concert, he approached the podium like a diffident schoolboy. But once there he showed upper self-assurance, using clear and wide-ranging gestures, particularly in the breathtaking dynamic reading of Schumann.
The audience cheered lustily, and the orchestra showed its appreciation with shuffled feet.
“Sensational” was the word heard most frequently in the Talk-Back reception. Mr. Remmereit radiated a joy in music-making. Inevitably, his boyish good looks, expressive podium manner and understated charisma were noted, but so was what some perceived as un unusual rapport between conductor and players.
 
The orchestra, which has had no music director since the departure of Mariss Jansons in 2003, recently cut short the search for a new one and is about to begin a ballyhooed three-year experiment in doing without, turning its fortunes over to three specialists: Andrew Davis, Marek Janowski and Yan Pascal Tortelier. But at the reception many proposed drafting Mr. Remmereit as music director at he end of that period – if not before. He’s a real find, they said, and of all the major American orchestras, Pittsburgh had him first.