“Neues Volksblatt”, 20.07.2015 Page 16 Culture Section

At a concert of the Passau European Weeks at the Engelszell monastery church, the Vienna Chamber Orchestra presented an interesting programme, which began with the youthfully impetuous String Symphony No.10 in b minor by Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy. Stefan Vladar led Mozart’s Piano Concerto in A Major from the piano, adeptly and impressively;…

The famous “Adagio for Strings” by Samuel Barber was performed movingly with a sombre mood. The highlight of the evening was a rendition of the string sextet “Souvenir de Florence” in d minor Op.70 by Peter I. Tchaikovsky in a version for string orchestra. Through his conducting, rich with gestures, Stefan Vladar spurred the musicians to an overwhelmingly thrilling performance. The romantic fullness of sound and vehement passion exploded in the dynamic culminations, while the lyrical passages imparted a very deep and sensitive insight. Tchaikovsky’s Russian and Italian worlds of experience found a masterful musical interpretation, which was greeted by thunderous applause from the audience. Rudolf Lessky