| Kenneth Woods, conductor |
| “From the first note of the concert, conductor, orchestra and audience seemed to breathe as one.” |
All rights reserved, all materials protected
by copyright of the site owner
by copyright of the site owner
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
Now Available- Two new
recordings with Orchestra of
the Swan, including Mahler for
Somm Recordings
recordings with Orchestra of
the Swan, including Mahler for
Somm Recordings
Order Here from Presto Classical
IRR OUTSTANDING: “an absolutely
astonishing recording in many respects,”and
concludes by reminding readers that “This is
a most important issue, and all Mahlerians
should make its acquisition an urgent
necessity.”
International Record Review
"Woods’s conducting is full of absorbing
detail and gives Schoenberg’s reduction a
gripping intensity and immediacy...the way
in which singers, players and conductor
connect with the music is remarkable and
very moving. Highly recommended."
Classical Source
"Woods has been making a considerable
name for himself as a Mahler interpreter
both in the UK and on the west coast of
America, and listening to this new disc it is
not hard to hear why. His handling of both
works is extremely impressive, with a strong
sense of atmosphere and control "
Classical Recordings Quarterly
“This is a really distinguished Wayfarer
cycle; the performance is beautifully played
and sung, and has an unerring focus on and
sensitivity to the text…. [In] Der abschied…
Woods’ control of the ebbs and flows of the
pulse is unerring….a finale that was magical
in its tenderness…something that every
lover of Mahler should hear.”
MusicWeb-International
"That this works is hugely due to the wise,
probing shaping of conductor Kenneth
Woods, but even more so to the expert
players, virtually soloists here, of the
Orchestra of the Swan..."
Birmingham Post
"tight but light playing…. the shifting
temperature of Mahler’s world is painted with
precise splashes of colour…Woods
brilliantly captures the contrasting
desolation of the second song… here, as
throughout the disc, the instrumentalists are
in superb form, playing with Jugendstil
sweep at the close and a brittle chirpiness in
‘Von der Jugend’…”
Entartete Musik
"a fabulous, dark version of Mahler’s
Wayfarer Songs with baritone David Stout
and an enthralling Song Of The Earth with
tenor Brennan Guillory and… Emma Curtis."
The Herald
IRR OUTSTANDING: “an absolutely
astonishing recording in many respects,”and
concludes by reminding readers that “This is
a most important issue, and all Mahlerians
should make its acquisition an urgent
necessity.”
International Record Review
"Woods’s conducting is full of absorbing
detail and gives Schoenberg’s reduction a
gripping intensity and immediacy...the way
in which singers, players and conductor
connect with the music is remarkable and
very moving. Highly recommended."
Classical Source
"Woods has been making a considerable
name for himself as a Mahler interpreter
both in the UK and on the west coast of
America, and listening to this new disc it is
not hard to hear why. His handling of both
works is extremely impressive, with a strong
sense of atmosphere and control "
Classical Recordings Quarterly
“This is a really distinguished Wayfarer
cycle; the performance is beautifully played
and sung, and has an unerring focus on and
sensitivity to the text…. [In] Der abschied…
Woods’ control of the ebbs and flows of the
pulse is unerring….a finale that was magical
in its tenderness…something that every
lover of Mahler should hear.”
MusicWeb-International
"That this works is hugely due to the wise,
probing shaping of conductor Kenneth
Woods, but even more so to the expert
players, virtually soloists here, of the
Orchestra of the Swan..."
Birmingham Post
"tight but light playing…. the shifting
temperature of Mahler’s world is painted with
precise splashes of colour…Woods
brilliantly captures the contrasting
desolation of the second song… here, as
throughout the disc, the instrumentalists are
in superb form, playing with Jugendstil
sweep at the close and a brittle chirpiness in
‘Von der Jugend’…”
Entartete Musik
"a fabulous, dark version of Mahler’s
Wayfarer Songs with baritone David Stout
and an enthralling Song Of The Earth with
tenor Brennan Guillory and… Emma Curtis."
The Herald
Order Here from Presto Classical
“structural genius… contrapuntal
mastery…committed
performance…splendid sound, warmly
recommended.”
Gramophone
”Woods shows his luminous interpretive
vision in the Schumann, which blasts away
the cobwebs of the composer’s reputation
as a dull, borderline inept, orchestrator. As
Schumann’s final of four works in the
symphonic idiom, Op. 97 is full of energy
and inspiration. Never has the outline of
Schumann’s composition been clearer.
Woods shapes exemplary phrasing from
Orchestra of the Swan; the clarity does not
amount to some kind of antiseptic
dissection, but something more at the
opposite extreme: a new lease on life for a
familiar masterwork.”
Indianapolis Star
"Gál is truly worth rediscovering ; Woods’s
recording project for Avie has intrigued and
delighted me and I’m only left wanting more."
Classic FM Magazine
"“an excellent disc…a substantial work,
deeply felt and deeply thought…obvious
empathy and understanding..with admirable
clarity of texture and finely honed
musicianship… could hardly be bettered”
International Record Review
"The ‘Rhenish’ Symphony is given a superb
outing, gloriously joyous in the outer
movements, exuberant without being
pushed, and also generously lyrical when
needed, not least in the triptych of middle
movements, beautifully phrased and
sounded, breathing and shapely, sensitively
addressed and lovingly detailed... . As for
alternative recordings of the ‘Rhenish’,
Woods holds his own against such wonders
as Sawallisch (Dresden rather than
Philadelphia), Celibidache (Munich), Giulini
(Chicago) and immediately becomes a
favourite for this delectable work. "
Classical Source
"Gál’s impassioned, well-crafted late
romanticism is readily accessible and
quietly moving – there’s a lot to enjoy here.
He’s good at subtle transitions – the way that
the delicious opening melody segues into
the first movement’s more agitated fast
section, and its brilliant, ghostly close...
brilliant, exuberant work”
The Arts Desk
Gal's Third Symphony is written for a
relatively small ensemble, but it makes the
most of the limited orchestral resources,
giving every player a real workout.... and all
rise to the challenge magnificently... Woods
knows that his woodwind soloists can give
him all the emotion the music needs, without
him having to pull the tempos around, and
they more than repay his trust…..
Classical CD Reviews
"A first recording shouldn’t be a swan-song,
but Orchestra of the Swan really does sing
for Woods, in long, arching melodic lines,
Gál’s writing favouring the woodwinds
especially."
The Classical Review
“structural genius… contrapuntal
mastery…committed
performance…splendid sound, warmly
recommended.”
Gramophone
”Woods shows his luminous interpretive
vision in the Schumann, which blasts away
the cobwebs of the composer’s reputation
as a dull, borderline inept, orchestrator. As
Schumann’s final of four works in the
symphonic idiom, Op. 97 is full of energy
and inspiration. Never has the outline of
Schumann’s composition been clearer.
Woods shapes exemplary phrasing from
Orchestra of the Swan; the clarity does not
amount to some kind of antiseptic
dissection, but something more at the
opposite extreme: a new lease on life for a
familiar masterwork.”
Indianapolis Star
"Gál is truly worth rediscovering ; Woods’s
recording project for Avie has intrigued and
delighted me and I’m only left wanting more."
Classic FM Magazine
"“an excellent disc…a substantial work,
deeply felt and deeply thought…obvious
empathy and understanding..with admirable
clarity of texture and finely honed
musicianship… could hardly be bettered”
International Record Review
"The ‘Rhenish’ Symphony is given a superb
outing, gloriously joyous in the outer
movements, exuberant without being
pushed, and also generously lyrical when
needed, not least in the triptych of middle
movements, beautifully phrased and
sounded, breathing and shapely, sensitively
addressed and lovingly detailed... . As for
alternative recordings of the ‘Rhenish’,
Woods holds his own against such wonders
as Sawallisch (Dresden rather than
Philadelphia), Celibidache (Munich), Giulini
(Chicago) and immediately becomes a
favourite for this delectable work. "
Classical Source
"Gál’s impassioned, well-crafted late
romanticism is readily accessible and
quietly moving – there’s a lot to enjoy here.
He’s good at subtle transitions – the way that
the delicious opening melody segues into
the first movement’s more agitated fast
section, and its brilliant, ghostly close...
brilliant, exuberant work”
The Arts Desk
Gal's Third Symphony is written for a
relatively small ensemble, but it makes the
most of the limited orchestral resources,
giving every player a real workout.... and all
rise to the challenge magnificently... Woods
knows that his woodwind soloists can give
him all the emotion the music needs, without
him having to pull the tempos around, and
they more than repay his trust…..
Classical CD Reviews
"A first recording shouldn’t be a swan-song,
but Orchestra of the Swan really does sing
for Woods, in long, arching melodic lines,
Gál’s writing favouring the woodwinds
especially."
The Classical Review
Volume 1 of Ken's survey of the
complete Schumann and Gal
symphonies with Orchestra of the
Swan for Avie Records is now in
stores. Find out more here.
complete Schumann and Gal
symphonies with Orchestra of the
Swan for Avie Records is now in
stores. Find out more here.