"This was La Valse as what seemed to be its greatest possibility, with dazzling orchestral playing, tremendous colors, and an almost overwhelming physicality."
“The Philharmonic played Metamorphosen and La Valse after intermission. In music familiar to the listener, one could really hear how fine the playing was, and why Mälkki is such a welcome presence at the podium. There’s no one specific secret or key to what she does; her poise and technique are clearly superb, and through them she channels a view of every work she touches that makes it sound both exactly how it’s supposed to and also as if one was hearing it properly for the first time. And this without any distracting interventions or fussiness.”