London Sinfonietta / Rihm
“A magnificent whirlwind of sound, performed with tremendous warmth by the Sinfonietta and conductor Thierry Fischer.”
The Telegraph, January 2012
“…All superbly conducted by Thierry Fischer.”
The Guardian, January 2012
“…Managed impeccably by conductor Thierry Fischer, who showed his powers of concentration and nerves of steel in keeping the players perfectly together and maintaining the silences for just long enough to make everyone feel slightly on edge… The London Sinfonietta excelled in their playing, which was exciting, engaging and expert throughout.”
Bachtrack, January 2012
“His last work in the programme managed to combine dense contrapuntal textures with pristine clarity as conductor Thierry Fischer coaxed sparks out of the thrilling ensemble.”
MusicOMH, January 2012
Utah Symphony / Beethoven, Wagner, Rouse
“The concert, which also included music by Richard Wagner and American composer Christopher Rouse, showed new levels of stylistic definition and ensemble unity, especially during Beethoven’s programmatically descriptive symphony… The work was highlighted by transparent phrases and authentic, Classical-period articulation produced by the string section’s crisp, shortened bow strokes, clarity from the woodwinds and brass and defined sticking by the George Brown on the orchestra’s new timpani.
Wagner’s music opened and closed the concert’s second half. A transcendent reading of his Prelude to Act I of “Lohengrin” contrasted with the rousing and uncommonly buoyant “Ride of the Valkyries” from “Die Walküre.” The symphony’s brass section energized the music with focused muscle and avoided too much bombast.”
Salt Lake Tribune, November 2011
Utah Symphony / Walton Violin Concerto, Beethoven Symphony No. 7
“The finely crafted balance between the soloist and the orchestra took the art of collaboration to another level.
The series of Beethoven symphonies continues this weekend with the Seventh. A study in rhythm, Fischer captured the exuberance and brightness of the Seventh with his briskly paced account. And the orchestra played with crisp and cleanly defined articulation. It was vibrant, thrilling and kept the audience on the edge of their seats.”
Reichel Recommends, November 2011
“In keeping with his oft-stated philosophy that the orchestra should give listeners the impression that “anything is possible in that moment,” Fischer brought a remarkable feeling of spontaneity to one of Beethoven’s most frequently played symphonies… The sound in the galloping first movement… always exciting and fresh.”
Salt Lake Tribune, November 2011
Scottish Chamber Orchestra / Mozart, Beethoven
“…while conductor Thierry Fischer and the SCO had served up a crisp little taster in Mozart’s tiny First Symphony, the purely orchestral highlight of the night was the interpretation of Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony, where, in terms of pacing and momentum, Fischer got everything right…
… A truly extraordinary performance of the Pastoral Symphony… The second movement was sublime, with its unhurried pace and its immaculate interior-detailing of every curve and line: the nuanced shading of phrases and dynamic contours had me completely entranced; I have not heard a more exquisitely-gauged account of this movement.”
Glasgow Herald, October 2011
“… [Fischer] conjured up a big sound from the small orchestra but found transparency in the inner textures with remarkable clarity from the winds… The whole evening was crowned with a glorious account of the Shepherds’ Hymn, expansive and soulful with playing of utter conviction and assured control from the podium.”
Seen and Heard International, October 2011
BBC National Orchestra of Wales / Debussy Le Martyre de Saint Sébastien
“In the last phase of his tenure as principal conductor of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, the contribution made by Thierry Fischer in bringing French music to the concert platform and to radio must be applauded as a major contribution. These forays into unheard repertoire have often been revelatory.”
The Guardian, October 2011
BBC National Orchestra of Wales / Stravinsky The Rite of Spring, Poulenc Les biches (Signum Classics)
“[Fischer’s] Rite is one of the best I’ve heard… One experiences the excitement that one hopes for in a live performance…
Even though this performance has a strong visceral impact – when it needs to, the music hits one in the solar plexus – there is refinement in the orchestral colours and textures, and a sensitivity to tempo and dynamics which other conductors would do well to note.
…Fischer has thought out this score on his own, and while it is not an eccentric or egotistic performance, it has personality.”
International Record Review, September 2011
“Thierry Fischer’s French sensibility is evident from the very start of this brightly lit and articulate Rite: a provocative and teasing rubato in the opening bassoon solo immediately hints at the sexual and the chic. The verdant “dawn chorus” is crisp and transparent, sophistication clearly taking precedent over primitivism. The whole orchestra vibrates like a tuning fork, the rhythmic snap and incisiveness giving the reading terrific impulse and uplift. Fleet, airy, balletic – these are the watchwords.
The precision of the Welsh orchestra is impressive, the clarity and vitality of the sound throwing up detail that one thought had long since stopped being surprising. But here it is – freshly minted, vivid, and always with the footwork and bodily gyrations of the score as prime motivator.
...The harmonic dissonance is always seductive in Fischer’s hands – making the couping of Poulenc’s Les biches all the more appropriate and provocative... Fischer and his orchestra are again properly bracing and audacious, and the fact that both these performances were recorded live is further testament to the thorough preparation and high quality of the work.”
Gramophone, July 2011
“...Fischer's refinement speaks volumes in the Rite's quieter passages, where the string clusters and gurgling woodwind have a lucid beauty that contrasts finely with the weight of the rest.... The real treat, though, is Les Biches...There is a dark undertow in the performance, with echoes of Offenbach and 18th-century elegance beneath its jazz-inflected, art deco veneer. The tricky choral writing is expertly negotiated, and the playing poised in the extreme.
The Guardian, May 2011
“The world doesn’t exactly need another recording of Stravinsky’s Rite, but this live performance from an unexpected source is very, very decent. Thierry Fischer’s augmented orchestra avoids sounding slick, and you can really sense just how strange and shocking this warhorse must have sounded in 1913. There’s so much to enjoy in the sheer sound of this performance – the gorgeous, Impressionistic textures conjured up in the slow opening to the ballet’s second half, or the swift traipse through "The Augurs of Spring", with the offbeat chords sonorous and weighty. And the "Dance of the Earth" is terrific, from the bass drum rumble which starts proceedings to the whooping, barking horns. You can almost feel the delight on the players’ faces at finishing without mishap.
But you should buy this for the generous, unusual coupling with Francis Poulenc’s rowdy, witty 1924 ballet Les biches... the central "Jeu" is one of the most entertaining things you’ll hear all year… As with the Rite, the performance is immaculate.”
The Arts Desk, June 2011
BBC National Orchestra of Wales / BBC Prom 18: Beethoven, D’Albavie, Carter
“...a wonderfully atmospheric realisation of Stravinsky’s 1910 Firebird ballet, complete with three harps, two contrabassoons, brass on the balconies, and magical inventions not in the various suites.
The second concert was stimulating all through... [The performances’] combination of lightened timbre, virtuosic dash and sheer intelligence was admirable. [Beethoven’s Symphony] No. 1 went off with the fireworks brilliance it demands, but the reading of No. 7 was profound. Though the modern trend among conductors to override breaks between a work’s movements is regrettable, Fischer’s “attacca” between this one’s first two was, I found, quite shockingly moving. The instant cancellation of the first movement’s closing A-major chord by the second’s A-minor one lurched us into tragedy. There is no “slow movement” — it’s not really slow at all — like the allegretto of this symphony. In its disarming, indeed, charming, way, it enacts the inexorability of fate.”
Sunday Times, August 2011
“...[Fischer] grabbed the Beethoven by the scruff of their necks, propelling the music along with period-instrument-practice alacrity.
There’s no real slow music in either Beethoven’s First or Seventh Symphonies and Fischer clearly pointed to 19th-century developments rather than harking back to 18th-century sensibilities in his brisk, breath-of-fresh-air performance of the First, making sweeping gestures to engender brittle attack from his responsive BBC National Orchestra of Wales players, including old-style timpani and ‘natural’ trumpets (though not, in either symphony, ‘natural’ horns). To end the concert, Fischer conducted an equally strident performance of the Seventh Symphony, suitably breathless and assuredly breathtaking, and greeted with a barrage of cheers from a packed audience.”
Classical Source, July 2011
“Interestingly different flute concertos prove variety is the spice of life... Both here and in the two Beethoven symphonies (nos 1 & 7), the orchestra under Thierry Fischer played with alert, honed energy.”
The Telegraph, July 2011
“The BBC National Orchestra of Wales under the baton of Thierry Fischer, gave a robust and enjoyable concert of Berlioz, Fauré and the complete version of Stravinsky's Firebird. If tepid at first, their performance of this 1910 ballet grew to an incandescent climax.”
Observer, July 2011
BBC National Orchestra of Wales / BBC Prom 16: Berlioz, Fauré, Dusapin, Stravinsky
“These were well-rehearsed performances, positive, lively, with ideas of their own and not a note wasted.”
Financial Times, July 2011
“Hinterland was played with the fierce concentration typical of the Arditti Quartet - and attentively directed by Thierry Fischer.
...What impressed in this account was the refinement of the solo wind-playing in a score that, whatever it indebtedness to past models, remains a decisive statement of intent. For his part Fischer was especially adept in the often-lengthy passages of scenic description that can pass for little, not least a vivid account of the ‘Ivan/Kashchei’ confrontation where the deployment of offstage trumpets and Wagner tubas audibly paid off.”
Classical Source, July 2011
“Fischer opened with Le Corsaire, one of Berlioz's splashier overtures, delivered with appropriate panache. After that, Fauré's Pavane was blessed relief, its reticence failing to mask depths of feeling undulled by familiarity: the flute solos, in particular, had a wonderfully woody charm.
There's nothing reticent about Stravinsky's The Firebird. This was a carefully modulated reading but always with the required sense of danger, thanks not least to the deployment of sundry wind instruments around the auditorium.”
Evening Standard, July 2011
“The second half of the concert saw the NOW give a superb version of Stravinsky’s breakthrough piece The Firebird.... Up to now Thierry Fischer had been the epitome of measured calm, patiently shaping the sound of the orchestra, but now showed himself in more urgent, animated and exhortative mood. The NOW were also shown to be in excellent form as they imparted one final orchestral flourish before executing the thrilling climax with confidence and precision.”
Music OMH, July 2011
BBC National Orchestra of Wales / Stravinsky The Rite of Spring, Poulenc Les biches (Signum Classics)
“Thierry Fischer’s French sensibility is evident from the very start of this brightly lit and articulate Rite: a provocative and teasing rubato in the opening bassoon solo immediately hints at the sexual and the chic. The verdant “dawn chorus” is crisp and transparent, sophistication clearly taking precedent over primitivism. The whole orchestra vibrates like a tuning fork, the rhythmic snap and incisiveness giving the reading terrific impulse and uplift. Fleet, airy, balletic – these are the watchwords.
The precision of the Welsh orchestra is impressive, the clarity and vitality of the sound throwing up detail that one thought had long since stopped being surprising. But here it is – freshly minted, vivid, and always with the footwork and bodily gyrations of the score as prime motivator.
...The harmonic dissonance is always seductive in Fischer’s hands – making the couping of Poulenc’s Les biches all the more appropriate and provocative... Fischer and his orchestra are again properly bracing and audacious, and the fact that both these performances were recorded live is further testament to the thorough preparation and high quality of the work.”
Gramophone, July 2011
“...Fischer's refinement speaks volumes in the Rite's quieter passages, where the string clusters and gurgling woodwind have a lucid beauty that contrasts finely with the weight of the rest.... The real treat, though, is Les Biches...There is a dark undertow in the performance, with echoes of Offenbach and 18th-century elegance beneath its jazz-inflected, art deco veneer. The tricky choral writing is expertly negotiated, and the playing poised in the extreme.
The Guardian, May 2011
“The world doesn’t exactly need another recording of Stravinsky’s Rite, but this live performance from an unexpected source is very, very decent. Thierry Fischer’s augmented orchestra avoids sounding slick, and you can really sense just how strange and shocking this warhorse must have sounded in 1913. There’s so much to enjoy in the sheer sound of this performance – the gorgeous, Impressionistic textures conjured up in the slow opening to the ballet’s second half, or the swift traipse through "The Augurs of Spring", with the offbeat chords sonorous and weighty. And the "Dance of the Earth" is terrific, from the bass drum rumble which starts proceedings to the whooping, barking horns. You can almost feel the delight on the players’ faces at finishing without mishap.
But you should buy this for the generous, unusual coupling with Francis Poulenc’s rowdy, witty 1924 ballet Les biches... the central "Jeu" is one of the most entertaining things you’ll hear all year… As with the Rite, the performance is immaculate.”
The Arts Desk, June 2011
Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra & Choir / Frank Martin Der Sturm (Hyperion)
“Thierry Fischer secures a committed response from the Netherlands Radio forces, burnished strings and incisive woodwind hear to advantage in the fabled Concertgebouw acoustic… A near-definitive account of an opera whose take on The Tempest has yet to be equalled for sensitivity and insight.”
Gramophone, Editor’s Choice, July 2011
“Thierry Fischer’ refined and yet muscular conducting, reminiscent of Ernst Ansermet, is the trump card.”
Le Monde, July 2011
“The devoted conducting of Thierry Fischer… At last, this magical opera has the complete recording it has so long deserved and the result is a triumphant success. Fischer’s conducting is quite magnificent: full of attention to detail and ideally paced too. It’s hard to imagine the ravishing and often surprising orchestral colours of this opera being realized so sensitively.”
International Record Review, June 2011
“It's a beautifully organised score with some striking moments… This recording – the first ever of the complete work – certainly serves it well.”
The Guardian, May 2011
“Das Orchester unterlegt das vokale Geschehen mit motivischer Verarbeitung, die sowohl den großen symphonischen Zusammenhang stiftet als auch punktuell kommentiert. Dirigent Thierry Fischer lässt spüren, welch dramatisches Potential in dem Werk steckt. Unter den insgesamt ausgezeichneten Solisten sticht Robert Holl als ehrfurchtgebietender und sehr menschlicher Prospero hervor. Unverzichtbar!”
Wiener Zeitung, May 2011
BBC National Orchestra of Wales / Berlioz Roméo et Juliette
“Conductor Thierry Fischer wisely insisted on realising it in a single dramatic sweep, with no interval. This way, the music's passionate pulse could be sustained until Romeo's faltering expiry, Juliet's suicide and beyond, to the Montague/Capulet breast beating.”
The Guardian, April 2011
Ensemble Orchestral de Paris / Haydn Symphony No.104
“L’excellent Thierry Fischer et (les cordes de) l’Ensemble Orchestral...allegent et avancent avec une transparence elegante et festive qui se transmit a tout le programme, original, astucieux, coherent: il conduit de la premiere a la derniere symphonie de Haydn en passant par deux pastiches du XXe siècle...on en sort galvanise...”
“The excellent Thierry Fischer and (the strings of) the Ensemble Orchestral... lightened the textures, propelled the music forward with an elegant, festive transparency throughout this original, astute and coherent programme, which proceeded from the first to the last of Haydn’s symphonies by way of two 20th century pastiches... we came out galvanised...”
Le Figaro, April 2011
“...Fischer, vigorous but not brutal, solemn but not heavy, dramatic but not rigid...gave the phrasing and the silences room to breathe; his Haydn was full of invention, anything but dogmatic, fresh proof of the “reconquest” of modern instrument groups in this repertoire.”
Concertonet.com, April 2011
BBC National Orchestra of Wales / Stravinsky and Liadov
“The orchestra reveals a host of colors and emotion in this music. The otherworldly Enchanted Lakeis simply gorgeous. Despite adding nearly 2 mintues to the timing of this work in any of my other recordings, Fishcer achieves a sense of peace that is delicate and wonderful without ever sounding like the music is dragging, Kikimora – much like Baba-Yaga in its supernatural story – is also exceptional.”
American Record Guide, February 2011
“Fischer’s re-imagining of the orchestra… is a winning strategy. I like how Stravinksy’s abrupt jumpcuts in the opening scene – provoking an edgy musical montage – are kept taut and alive with anticipation; Stravinsky with authentic sting…
Fischer’s Petrushka is up there with the best on record… The BBC NOW’s spriti of sped-up frenzy is top-notch.”
Classicfm.co.uk, October 2010
WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln / Mahler Lieder with Christian Gerhaher
“And the WDR Symphony Orchestra (playing Mahler’s Des Knaben Wunderhorn with soloist Christian Gerhaher) gave an impressive demonstration of how the late Romantic orchestral apparatus can be made to sound transparent and homogenous with well-balanced dynamics, as if they were playing chamber music....
...the WDR SO presented the musical scenes (of Musssorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition) with virtuosic expressivity, evoking vivid and exciting images. The Finale of the Great Gate of Kiev was staged dramatically as a never-ending, ever-renewing monumental apotheosis. “
Online Music Magazine, January 2011
Utah Symphony Orchestra / John Adams Harmonielehre
“Under Fischer’s direction, the Utah Symphony seemed to generate enough electricity to power a city block. Musique d’energie, indeed…
…In Friday’s performance, “Harmonielehre” was like a living entity, pulsing and sparkling and crackling with light and joy. Fischer displayed a profound sense of the piece’s architecture.”
Salt Lake Tribune, January 2011
Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine / Stravinsky, Szymanowski, Mussorgsky
...and there was nothing routine about this performance! ...a former orchestral musician himself, this conductor gained the confidence of the ONBA who, as a result, revived all the colours of the Ravel orchestration.”
Sud Ouest, December 2010
Utah Symphony Orchestra / Berlioz Roméo et Juliette
“As he proved at Friday's performance Fischer is certainly is one of the most perceptive interpreters of this music today.
Fischer gave a commanding interpretation of the work. His account captured the myriad small nuances of the score. He doesn't fall into the trap, so common with many conductors today who attempt Berlioz, of going for the obvious. Instead he probes and goes deeper to find the subtleties of expression that make Berlioz's music memorable. Fischer's interpretation was intelligent, thoughtful and radiantly musical. This was Berlioz in the hands of someone who understands and appreciates the music.
The orchestra played wonderfully. Fischer got a warm and romantic sound from his ensemble, and the most lyrical movements were gorgeously eloquent. Most stunning were the purely orchestral movements "Roméo seul" and "Scene d'amour." Here Fischer captured the ardor of Romeo's love for Juliet through some of the most exquisitely expressive playing yet heard from the Utah Symphony.”
Deseret News, November 2010
BBC National Orchestra of Wales / Bach, Mass in B Minor
“Certainly this performance directed by Thierry Fischer was intensely dramatic, full of fierce contrasts of tempo and texture, richly expressive and emotionally intense, though without any sense of self indulgence”
Seen and Heard International, April 2010
Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra / Saint-Saens, Stravinsky and Ravel
“...a brisk, well-defined performance...incisive playing and considerable poise (Saint-Saens Organ Symphony)…
With technical mastery in the foreground and emotion kept at arm's length, the work has a distinctive bristling charm that this reading highlighted. (Stravinsky Symphony in 3 movements)
It was bracing to hear the lovely theme of the second movement declaimed rather than sentimentalized. The dash and clarity of the outer movements represented a real meeting of the minds between conductor and pianist (Ravel Piano Concerto in G major).”
indystar.com, October 2009
BBC National Orchestra of Wales / BBC Proms 2009 / Mendelssohn, Holliger & Prokofiev
"Fischer and the BBCNOW, emulating the lighter sounds of period trumpets and drums, were fleet of foot in it, as they were later in Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto....
To end, a short group of dances from Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet formed a symphony in miniature, in which the BBCNOW lifted its skirts to give Fischer its energetic best."
Financial Times, August 2009
“The BBC National Orchestra of Wales under Thierry Fischer gave the symphony [Mendelssohn No.1] a good, positive reading, neat, sleek and sufficiently charged with energy.”
The Telegraph, August 2009
“The first half of the evening was devoted to Mendelssohn, with a glittering performance of his first symphony, and with Isabelle Faust as the excellent soloist in an exquisitely refined account of his Violin Concerto.”
The Independent, August 2009
BBC National Orchestra of Wales / BBC Proms 2009 / Berlioz, Beethoven & Jarrell
“Thierry Fischer directed a suitably grandiose performance that relished both the harmonic and textural quirks [Berlioz Symphonie Funebre]…
Soloists and orchestra alike demonstrated impressive levels of concentration in realising an elusive conception [Jarrell Sillages]...”
Evening Standard, August 2009
BBC National Orchestra of Wales / Hyperion / D’Indy
“Under the direction of Thierry Fischer, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales here plays with poise and utter commitment to this work…Fischer knows all about how to create a refined sound and one senses that this assignment has special meaning for him.”
International Record Review, March 2009
“A performance…full of vitality and warmth with bright brass and energetic strings…”
BBC Music Magazine, March 2009
Utah Symphony / Schubert, Mendelssohn & Stravinsky
“Fischer made a huge impact the last time he was here — and that was repeated Friday night. One of the most dynamic and expressive conductors to have appeared here in a long time, Fischer's musicality is a welcome addition this season.
The concert opened with a gorgeously crafted reading of Schubert's Symphony No. 8 ("Unfinished"). Marked by long fluid lines, this was a wonderfully defined and eloquent performance, with the orchestra playing seamlessly. Fischer showed a fine sense for details, paying careful attention to matters of nuances in dynamics, tempos and expression. He also skillfully captured the moodiness of the work, from the drama of the dark and somber opening movement to the second movement's lightness and lyrical grace. Fischer coaxed richly textured reading from the orchestra, whose playing was well-articulated, cleanly defined and wonderfully executed.
And the musicians played luminously. It's a challenging score with many solo passages, and the players didn't disappoint either. They played with a conviction and a passion that mirrored Fischer's.”
Deseret News, January 2009
BBC National Orchestra of Wales / Opening of the Hoddinott Hall
“…[Fischer] directed the Ravel eloquently, provided neat backing to the marvellously assertive young Latvian, Baiba Skride, in Sibelius's Violin Concerto, and supervised a cogent premiere for St Vitus in the Kettle, a work commissioned from Simon Holt for winds, percussion and double basses.”
The Times, January 2009
“Conductor Thierry Fischer… realised the instrumental textures and timbres to scintillating effect.”
The Guardian, January 2009
BBC National Orchestra of Wales / Honegger (Hyperion)
“Here is an excellent introduction to a still underestimated composer.
…Thierry Fischer conjures up a wonderful dream atmosphere…
At the other end of the work Fischer’s handling of the final ‘wind-down’… is deeply moving.”
BBC Music Magazine, Disc of the Month, December 2008
Scottish Chamber Orchestra / Stravinsky, Ravel, Faure
“…it [Pulcinella] was transformed on this occasion into the most vivacious of concert scores, conducted by Thierry Fischer with exuberant aplomb.”
Ravel… benefited additionally from Fischer's (batonless) expertise in handling the orchestral detail.”
Glasgow Herald, November 2008
Dutch Radio Philharmonic Orchestra / Frank Martin Der Sturm
Zaterdag Matinee series at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw
“The orchestra, under the direction of Thierry Fischer, was exemplary.”
NRC Handelsblad, October 2008
"… great orchestra...impassioned conducting of Thierry Fischer, and ...great singers. "
Telegraaf, October 2008
Nagoya Philharmonic
"Thierry Fischer’s appointment as chief conductor of the Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra has generated much interest in how the orchestra will evolve....Fischer has especially improved the ensembles to allow more delicate expression of soft sounds... Delicate expressions of pianissimo as well as other excellent performances proved that the Nagoya Philharmonic has been steadily improving its harmony in ensembles."
The Nikkei, 4 September 2008
Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra / Holliger, Rachmaninov, Berlioz
"He presented a sharp and witty performance which gave a new impression of the Nagoya Philharmonic.
Fischer is unique for his clear-cut interpretation of works without any vagueness, and for his smart and urbanized sense that conveys abundant expression without making it too complex.
Keep an eye on the Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra's future progress with Fischer, who is clearly pointing out a new direction for its music."
The Chunichi Shimbun, July 2008
"The surprising freshness of this piece was supported by the fine performance of the orchestra members who showed both curiosity about the work and empathy with their conductor.
Fischer's movements were large yet purposeful. His body expressed precise visualization of the beat and of the images conveyed by sound."
The Asahi Shimbun, July 2008
BBC National Orchestra of Wales / BBC Proms 2008
Messiaen La Transfiguration de Notre Seigneur Jésus-Christ
“Thierry Fischer and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales lashed out in glory on Sunday, slotting into place each aural jigsaw piece with split-second timing and daring.
Fischer’s choirs and orchestra announced Heaven’s gateway with the most gorgeous wave of exultant sound, lifting the Albert Hall dome. Once in a lifetime.”
The Times, July 2008
“Their combined efforts paid off in a performance that captured the music’s sensuousness as well as its power.”
The Telegraph, July 2008
“Fischer's performance, with the combined forces of the BBC National Chorus of Wales, the BBC Symphony Chorus and the Philharmonia Voices, was fine-grained and precise, too, and he caught much of the necessary radiance and grandeur…”
The Guardian, July 2008
“The perfect work for the spacious Royal Albert Hall, it might be thought, and so it proved, at least at first. This rare performance by the combined Philharmonia Voices, BBC Symphony Chorus, and BBC National Chorus and Orchestra of Wales under Thierry Fischer never sounded less than strikingly vivid.”
The Independent, July 2008
“This performance, by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales under Thierry Fischer, was a good one.”
Financial Times, July 2008
BBC National Orchestra of Wales / BBC Proms 2008
Debussy, Simon Holt (world premiere), Mussorgsky
“In performance, there can be a tendency to over-refine Ravel's scoring of Mussorgsky's original piano piece, but Fischer here coaxed something much more robust and well upholstered that served as a reminder that the music's roots are very much in Russian soil.”
The Telegraph, July 2008
BBC National Orchestra of Wales / Dutilleux weekend
“Conductor Thierry Fischer balanced the colours beautifully in Dutilleux's Second Symphony, Le Double, where the solo ensemble of 12 orchestral principals made the interplay of forces a subtly dynamic element.”
The Guardian, February 2008
Utah Symphony / Rodrigo, Berlioz & Ravel
"… his no-holds-barred reading of Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique left the audience shouting its approval and the orchestra giving hearty bow taps and foot stamps."
The Salt Lake Tribune, October 2007
"Fischer brought vitality, vibrancy, drive and electricity to his reading. It was insightful and penetrating, and he explored the music in depth, bringing it to life dramatically. Once again, Fischer elicited a nuanced performance from the orchestra, and it, in turn, played at its highest level of musicianship and virtuosity."
Deseret Morning News, October 2007
Scottish Chamber Orchestra / Mozart Gran Partita
"Thierry Fischer was aristocratically broad in his pacing of the great work, whose performance by this elite team of players was suffused with warmth and a sense of complete engagement. … Everything in the conductor's vision of the music, with its characterful minuets, bustling allegros, and two divine slow movements, had a radiantly benign profile."
The Herald, October 2007
BBC National Orchestra of Wales / BBC Proms 2007
"Fischer conducted like a florid version of Pierre Boulez: no baton, every bar gripped by hands working with mathematical precision."
The Times, August 2007
"[In Fauré's Requiem], Fauré's brand of hedonistic spirituality was conveyed well under Thierry Fischer's serenely unflappable direction."
The Evening Standard, July 2007
BBC National Orchestra of Wales / Schmitt (Hyperion)
"Thierry Fischer's no-holds-barred approach brings Schmitt's Psalm and Salomé to vivid life. Terrific stuff."
Classic FM Magazine, July 2007
"The performances under Thierry Fischer are first rate."
The Guardian, June 2007
Scottish Chamber Orchestra / Berg / Shubert
"A highly perceptive and eerily moving performance ... Nothing short of triumphant ... Conductor Thierry Fischer kept a tense and expert eye on all the detailed threads running through this elaborate musical labyrinth."
The Scotsman, April 2007
"The symphony, as firmly demonstrated by the SCO with conductor Thierry Fischer, is a wonderful case study in ambiguity and, in a performance of this calibre, provides sizzling aural entertainment ... Conductor Fischer's translucent texturing of the music, and the SCO's pellucid and often dazzlingly articulate playing, effortlessly proclaimed the greatness of the work."
The Telegraph, April 2007
"The ensemble held together the intricacies of rhythm remarkably well ... There was more than a touch of operatic pathos and drama in Fischer's performance - driven and decisive with plenty of surprising twists and turns on the way."
The Guardian, April 2007
BBC National Orchestra of Wales - on tour in the United States
"...the Welsh orchestra, conducted by Thierry Fischer, was outstanding from the downbeat."
Washington Post, January 2007
"The interpretation [of Brahms Symphony No. 2] by conductor Thierry Fischer, who did not use a musical score, was energetic and beautiful. It was a treat to watch Mr. Fischer as he cajoled, challenged and encouraged his players. The final notes brought the audience to its feet..."
Fairfax Chronicle, January 2007
Netherlands Radio Kammer Filharmonie / Beethoven / Haydn / Ayres / Crane / De Falla
"Thierry Fischer conducted the Radio Kamer Filharmonie with a lot of confidence. Sometimes he contented himself with gently guiding the orchestra - quite rightly, when you hear what the players delivered, an excellent performance (especially in the Beethoven Overture and in El Amor Brujo by De Falla)."
NRC Handelsblad, December 2006
BBC National Orchestra of Wales / Messiaen / Schmitt
"Fischer's conducting managed to be both incisive and expansive; he controlled the virtuosic element of the writing with a firm hand but allowed the highly sensuous and exotic eastern element of Messiaen's soundworld to envelop the hall. The fifth movement, Joie du Sang des Etoiles , was all energy and vibrant passion, but the work's overall structure was astutely judged, always progressing to its glorious climax. Fischer voiced the different facets of Messiaen's colouristic effects with care, with the often painfully obtrusive ondes martinot (played by Jacques Tchamkerten) more subtly incorporated, complementing rather than fighting the glittering piano of Roger Muraro. It was heady stuff."
The Guardian, October 2006
Basel Symphony Orchestra - opening of the season
"Right from the start one could hear that the musicians were highly motivated and eager to show off these musical goodies to the audience. In this they were helped by the fiery leadership of the 49-year-old conductor from Geneva, Thierry Fischer - an ambitious, disciplined bundle of energy, who knows what he wants and clearly communicates it in his conducting."
Baseler Zeitung, August 2006
"The Summer break had obviously done the orchestra good, and the 49-year-old Thierry Fischer, whose career is largely in the UK, was a motivating force, and one with a talent for glitz as well as for the aesthetic flow. This was felt above all in the performances of the opening and closing works, the carnival overtures of Berlioz and Dvorak, which were notable not only for the strong brass and brilliant strings, but also (particularly in the Berlioz) for the emotional intensity communicated by the whole orchestra."
Basellandschaftliche Zeitung, August 2006
Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France / Prokofiev
"Replacing Myung Whun Chung was the Swiss conductor Thierry Fischer, who had already had the distinction of enabling the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France to follow Argerich in the Prokofiev, and who (in Les Noces ) was not content simply to mark time - he communicated his personal vision of the work: energetic, wild, over the top."
Le Figaro, February 2006
Scottish Chamber Orchestra / Haydn / Brahms / Bruch
"With four bassoons - including the sinister growl of the contra-bassoon - making up half the ensemble, this little beauty purred along like a vintage Rolls-Royce. Swiss conductor Thierry Fischer moulded its four movements with minimal intervention, but maximum effect."
"[Brahms's Haydn variations ] is a work that often suffers from over-indulgence. Fischer, however, took the lean, clean approach, focusing on the score's sharp-edged textures and inbuilt rollercoaster momentum. Nothing lingered, everything connected."
The Scotsman, November 2005
BBC National Orchestra of Wales / Haydn's Creation
"Fischer shows a confidence with this exuberant work, maintaining consistency and balance in the orchestra, travelling through the hugely contrasting atmospheres in the work from chilling thunders to beautiful love duets and music that is enough to make you jump with joy - even on a gloomy October evening.
Although he does not take up his prestigious position until next year, [if] the excellence of the performance and the warmth and enthusiasm of the audience at this uplifting performance of Haydn's The Creation is anything to go by, we are in for an orchestral feast."
Western Mail , October 2005
Records Françaix Le Roi Nu & Les Demoiselles de la Nuit / Ulster Orchestra (Hyperion)
"Both scores are vivid and charming; the performances under Thierry Fischer have just the right lightness of touch."
The Guardian, March 2005
Münchner Kammerorchester / Italian works
"The Kammerorchester played with concentration and communication. There was a give and take, a questioning and answering, the kind you can usually only dream of."
Süddeutsche Zeitung, December 2004
Ulster Orchestra / Wagner / Sibelius / Harty
"A triumphant performance at the centre of a thoroughly satisfying concert."
Belfast Telegraph, September 2004
Ulster Orchestra / Strauss Don Juan
"Fischer's taut but flexible Don Juan proved a convincing demonstration of the rapport he has built up with the Ulster Orchestra. This was assured and incisive playing which could nevertheless relax meltingly when required."
Irish Times, September 2004
Ulster Orchestra / Françaix / Hyperion CDA67384
"The sound is bright and brilliant … But it's a good match for the music, as are Thierry Fischer's blend of precision and chic and the clean edges of the Ulster players' performances."
BBC Music Magazine, June 2004
Scottish Chamber Orchestra / Françaix / Britten/ Vaughan Williams / Ravel
"Thierry Fischer conducted a performance that struck the perfect balance between poise and perniciousness."
The Scotsman, May 2004
Philharmonia Orchestra /Brighton Festival Chorus / Morgan / Tippett / Janacek
"Maestro Fischer got the best sound from the BFC I have ever heard…Overall, this was an opening concert of great power, great subtly, fine performance, and, above all, excitement."
The Argus, May 2004
BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Dutilleux / Ravel / Berlioz
"Such was Fischer's engagement with his players that the musical ideas had a vividness and immediacy that made the Dutilleux seem like a concerto for orchestra…"
The Guardian, March 2004
Ulster Orchestra / Weber / Chopin / Dvorák
"…Dvorák's Symphony No. 7 in D Minor…is a formidable symphonic argument that chief conductor Thierry Fischer paced and shaped beautifully. Throughout he nurtured the lyrical lines to great effect."
Belfast Telegraph, February 2004
"…Thierry Fischer remained faithful to the composer's scoring but subtly lightened his textures, providing a mobile, cleary articulated framework for the young Polish pianist Ewa Kupiec [in Chopin's First Piano Concerto]…If a dance-like feel persisted in the most emotionally charged parts of the outer movements of the Dvorák symphony, it was to the music's advantage. This was one of the finest things Fischer has given us, well paced, carefully detailed, and capturing the work's moods of drama, sentiment and nostalgia."
The Irish Times, February 2004
Colorado Symphony Orchestra / Cinderella
"He was at his best on the second half in a stirring interpretation of excerpts from Sergei Prokofiev's masterful 20th Century ballet Cinderella, as he captured the emotional sweep and often intense beauty of this evocative, totally involving score…Highlights could be found in virtually every facet of the work, from the piercing, piquant harmonies of the wrenching 'Midnight' section to the rich, plush sound Fischer drew from the orchestra as he reveled in the sheer beauty of 'The Prince and Cinderella' ."
Denver Post, January 2004
Saarbrücken RSO / Excerpts from Prokofiev's Cinderella Suits Nos. 1 & 3 / Berlin Classics
"Fischer gauges his heroine's longing for happiness to perfection, finds an ideal spring for the ballroom Mazurka and once again gives his woodwind soloists free rein, this time to project the angularities of the ugly sisters. We shall be hearing much more from him."
BBC Music Magazine, November 2003
Zurich Chamber Orchestra / Haydn
"Fischer's suggestive facial expressions and hand gestures spurred the orchestra on to a committed and colourful ensemble sound, from which the small and large solos emerged as outstanding highlights."
Neue Zürcher Zeitung, November 2003
Ulster Orchestra / Nielsen / Brahms / Sibelius
"Thierry Fischer got the concert off to a vigorous start with Nielsen's Overture to Maskarade ... Fischer was on his tip-toes for this, urging his colleagues on to produce an electrifying performance that soared along with impressive energy... [In the Piano Concerto] Fischer and the orchestra provided an impressive accompaniment, again musically balanced and totally at one with the soloist."
Irish News, May 2003
"Thierry Fischer…brought us a programme that will long remain in the memory."
Belfast Telegraph, May 2003
Ulster Orchestra / Mozart / Schubert
"Fischer, again with an ever-watchful eye for dramatic potential, asked for an amazing range of dynamism, often dropping from a huge fortissimo to a whispered pianissimo within the space of a bar…this was an outstanding concert."
Irish News, April 2003
Ulster Orchestra / Schubert / Britten / Stravinsky
"Under the direction of Principal Conductor Thierry Fischer, and led by Lucy Drennan, the orchestra gave a stylishly elegant reading of this delightfully transparent piece. Written without percussion and with a minimum of brass, it was a good opportunity to hear the string section which has been working at a very high level under Mr. Fischer's benign direction."
Irish News, March 2003
"Fischer and his forces were in excellent form, adding much to a programme that was both rewarding and in which audience support was both enthusiastic and well deserved."
Belfast Telegraph, March 2003
Ulster Orchestra / Françaix
"Again and again while listening to Thierry Fischer's ebullient performances I smile and wish that I had met Jean Françaix."
Gramophone, Decermber 2002
Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne / Françaix
"The whole piece is lifted and taut under the direction of Thierry Fischer, whose precise gestures create a constant explosion of vitality".
L'Impartial, November 2002
Scottish Chamber Orchestra / Dempster / Mahler / Schoenberg
"Under Thierry Fischer, the SCO was in fine fettle"
The Scotsman, October 2002
"The Orchestra, under the baton of the young Swiss conductor making his debut with the SCO, was on top form."
Edinburghguide.com, October 2002
Ulster Orchestra / Volans / Dalberto / Grieg / Sibelius
"And here, Fischer's influence really began to be felt. He created a framework spacious, yet tautly enough controlled, to maximize the energy of this band of scarcely more than 60 players."
The Times, September 2002
Ulster Orchestra / Françaix / Hyperion
"The Ulster Orchestra under Thierry Fischer play with panache and, where asked for, with sensitivity".
Gramophone, September 2002
"This very enjoyable programme is magnificently advocated by Thierry Fischer, who has managed to draw from his Northern Irish orchestra the most charming sonorities and subtle phrasing…"
Répertoire, August 2002
"…This is an hour of pure joy."
BBC Music Magazine, July 2002
Australian Chamber Orchestra / Ives / Schubert
"Fischer invested the famous Schubert two-movement symphony with surprising energy, keeping the work's argument moving and making space for very clear-speaking wind and brass choirs. Where many conductors swap these elegiac pages in string sentiment, this young visitor produced a reading in line with the group's elegant iconoclasm, maintaining the composer's moving lyricism but underpinning the work with tensile athleticism."
The Age, June 2002
"Finally, the conductor brought a passionate and dramatic approach to Schubert's endearing two-movement Symphony No. 8 in B Minor, his 'Unfinished Symphony', which gave new vitality to this familiar music. With fine playing from the orchestra the performance glowed with life, and made a memorable conclusion to this extremely rewarding concert."
Canberra Times, June 2002
Hallé Orchestra / Hemmings arr. Collins / Ravel / Nielsen / Stravinsky
"Both here [Hemmings arr. Collins 'Threnody'] and in the suite from Ravel's ballet Mother Goose , Fischer coaxed elegantly crafted playing from the strings, who responded warmly to his sensitive approach. Fischer and the Hallé did full justice to the flamboyance with which Stravinsky characterized the Russian playground - vibrant, energetic playing, tinged with a rawness that brought his urban soundscape to life."
The Guardian, April 2002
Ulster Orchestra / Gribbin / Mendelssohn / Berg
"Fischer opened new avenues of appreciation, thanks to his acute pacing of the first three, purely orchestral movements and the expansive incandescence - rather than the usual portentousness - he brought to the choral finale."
Daily Telegraph, October 2001
Ensemble Modern / Wolpe / Feldman / Holt / Schönberg
"The gradations and differentiations became inspiring through the superb conducting of Thierry Fischer. His very precise gestures found their exact correlation in the power of conversely the reticence of the musicians' articulation…"
Frankfurter Rundschau, December 2000
Ulster Orchestra
"Schubert's Great Symphony was also a most prestigious account of a classic and Thierry Fischer's command of his forces was admirable, in fact the best Schubert performance in the series we have so far heard".
Belfast Telegraph, December 2002
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