Mälkin ja HKO:n levyllä onnistuu kaikki vapautuneesti, olivat tempot tai rytmit kuinka kimurantteja tahansa. Dynaamiset paisutukset, runsaat temponvaihdokset, hurjat äkkilähdöt – kaikki osuu nappiin. Rikkaasta detaljityöstä huolimatta esitys ei vaikuta mikromanageeratulta.
“Mälkin ja HKO:n levyllä onnistuu kaikki vapautuneesti, olivat tempot tai rytmit kuinka kimurantteja tahansa. Dynaamiset paisutukset, runsaat temponvaihdokset, hurjat äkkilähdöt – kaikki osuu nappiin. Rikkaasta detaljityöstä huolimatta esitys ei vaikuta mikromanageeratulta.”
“I have enjoyed to the full the readings by the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra and Susanna Mälkki. The ensemble has all the technical qualities and the commitment needed to do this glorious music full justice. The performance of the masterly, marvellous Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta is certainly one of the finest that I have heard.”
“This continues what I hope will be a set of Bartók’s major orchestral work with the Helsinki Philharmonic led by Finnish conductor Susanna Mälkki. The high quality of the series is certainly maintained here. Concerto for Orchestra’s opening is appropriately creepy, with the trumpet passage more legato and soft than usual. The violins’ first big entrance is slantingly bold… the woodwinds sound warm in their lyrical passages. The fugue is almost lyrical and is not as driven as in most performances, producing an interesting effect. Some of this is a little wayward, but in a good way, as if exploring; and the ending is strong.
MSPC can be a difficult piece for someone unfamiliar with Bartók to take in, especially in performances that stress its modernism. Mälkki does not ignore that quality, but her phrasing and control combine to make the work more accessible than it sometimes is. It is also more romantic and not as biting as one often hears with Bartok, and her approach works.”
American Record Guide