On Thursday 29th February (with further performances on 1st and 3rd March), Dinis Sousa made his debut with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, conducting Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam with baritone Christian Gerhaher, soprano Lenneke Ruiten and the Monteverdi Choir. The programme also featured Schütz’s Selig sind die Toten and J.C. Bach’s Der Gerechte, ob er gleich zu zeitlich stirbt.
The reviews were unanimous in their praise for the partnership between conductor and orchestra:
“Dinis Sousa makes a fine debut with the Concertgebouw Orchestra… What a beautifully structured program it was on Sunday afternoon… Sousa’s inviting and expressive hands immediately elicited an exuberant sound in Schütz’s motet… this performance was at the highest level… The Concertgebouw Orchestra, led by Sousa, provided [a] beautiful and powerful sound… It was a great afternoon”- 5*, Trouw
“A sense of expectancy swirled around the Concertgebouw on Thursday evening… Sousa had brought the period feel to the RCO who were duly transformed… Such amazing power from a relatively small choir… Sousa’s attention to detail and creativity was excellent… Pent-up tension helped build drama in terrifying climaxes… All was in service of the text…” – 5*, Bachtrack
“Dinis Sousa…makes a dream debut in Amsterdam…it was so good… The Monteverdi Choir…placed a brilliant crown of sound on top of the Concertgebouw Orchestra…a superb collective achievement” – 5*, Volkskrant
Next month, Dinis Sousa makes his debut with the Swedish Radio Symphony in a programme of Haydn, Sariaaho and Beethoven, and in May he conducts the complete Beethoven Symphonies in London and Paris with the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique and the Monteverdi Choir.
Photo Credit: Sim Canetty-Clarke
