Thomas Dausgaard made his debut with the New York Philharmonic last week, with the New York Times calling for the Danish conductor to be a regular with the orchestra.
Writing in the New York Times, critic Anthony Tommasini writes, “He led an exceptionally urgent and insightful account of Schumann’s Second Symphony… I was engrossed throughout. Mr. Dausgaard, who avoids going for big statements, conveyed the work’s subtle dramatic character and brought out striking details. This symphony can sometimes seem at odds with itself, with stretches in which Schumann tries to channel his wild imagination into majestic Beethovenian symphonic forms. A fantastical episode is run through with rigorous contrapuntal passages. But Mr. Dausgaard balanced all these elements.”
The New York Classical Review also praised Dausgaard’s debut, writing: “Top-level playing… the orchestra under Dausgaard played with a strong feeling of engagement with Beethoven’s form… Dausgaard’s pace was excellent throughout.”
And in their 5-star review for Classical Source, critic Lewis M. Smoley writes, “[Dausgaard] led a vigorous performance that gloried in resilient brass and sonorous strings. He shaped lyrical material exquisitely while maintaining a spirited pace, retaining inner tension, even during softer passages…. Dausgaard shaped phrases brilliantly… In Schumann’s Second Symphony, Dausgaard was simply masterful. He elicited a deeply etched, vividly drawn, and impressively detailed reading the like of which is rarely offered these days, the Philharmonic players adhering to his every direction without the least hesitation.”
Mr Dausgaard conducted a program of Nielsen Helios Overture, Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 3 (with soloist Stephen Hough), and Schumann’s Symphony No. 2 for three concerts on the 14th, 15th and 16th February.
