Peninsula Reviews, Josef Sekon:
'“Esa-Pekka Salonen is certainly one of today’s finest and most adventuresome composers. In 2018 the Santa Cruz Symphony under Stewart’s imaginative programming, ventured out into the world Salonen’s Karawane - by all consideration a huge success. Now the Maestro turned to yet another of Salonen’s musical creations, his eclectic 30-minute Violin Concerto, composed in 2009, in a performance featuring virtuoso Concert Master Nigel Armstrong.”
”Double stop glissandi were effectively performed by Armstrong whose overall performance was as well executed as any to be found. A most striking performance by soloist and the entire orchestra!”
”Bravo Maestro Stewart, Nigel Armstrong and entire orchestra for a most artistic performance of a work that other orchestras and violinists of repute should consider adding to their repertoire.”
”From the opening measures, Stewart and the orchestra took the symphony [Dvorak 7] airborne sweeping through like swift storm clouds and rolling thunder.”
”Stewart never allowed the weight of the material to slow the movement’s progress. He shifted from what might be considered high drama to song seamlessly and without losing Dvořák’s intention of hi-lighting Austro/Germanic and Czech folklore influence.”
”The third movement Scherzo: poco meno mosso was delightfully Czech and danceable.”
”Even at the entrance of the strings, Stewart set a gorgeous glide of instrumental colors in motion with fantastic clarinet, horn, flute, accompanied by plucked strings all melted into a beautiful sound experience.”
”Stewart’s persistence on perfection blended the textures so tightly that the combination of instruments often sounded like one new instrument.”
”Dvořák constructed transparent, delicate textures, and in the hands of Stewart and orchestra, they created quite a beautiful rapture.”
Performing Arts Monterey Bay, Scott MacClelland:
”Two works comprised the Santa Cruz Symphony concert titled “Horizons,” heard Sunday in Watsonville; Esa-Pekka Salonen’s Violin Concerto and Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony No. 7. “
”The Salonen concerto opened the performance with soloist Nigel Armstrong making a brilliant argument for the work. The second movement, Pulse I, emerged out of the first, with tuned gongs, a deliberately delicate effect underpinning the darkly dreaming violin with a dirge-like pulse. The solo instrument sang a lonely melody, often unaccompanied. In Pulse II, the third movement, Armstrong’s violin had battle to do with an eruptive orchestra, sizzling with energy.”
”Conductor Daniel Stewart pulled off excellent diminuendos, a specialty in his ‘dynamics’ toolbox.”
”Conducting from memory, he shaped the Poco adagio slow movement with soulful expression that Brahms would have praised.”
”No one could complain that this feast was in any way less than bountiful.”