“Behind them, the orchestra, under Lawrence Renes’ masterful direction, produces a terse, dark-timbred sound, steadily ratcheting up the tension. No easy listening (or watching) here: this is a brilliant but emotionally draining production, albeit one bound to stay with the viewer a long time.”

“Conductor Lawrence Renes controlled the orchestral ebb and flow with point and flexibility, allowing the big moments to ​‘tell’ as effectively as he did the score’s many ​‘whispered’ detailings at the other end of the tonal spectrum”

“There can be no praise too high for this amazingly moving production. Lester Lynch and Susan Bullock mange to caress and repel in the one voice, their grasp of the volatile characters and their range of vocal expression (only occasionally drowned out by a full-on orchestra) is peerless. Lawrence Renes as conductor intimately captures and nails all the fiendishly difficult tones, volumes and timings.”

“Bluebeard’s Castle is often described as a Symbolist opera and symbolism remains strong in this production. Part of this is the music, marvellously played by the full forces of the NZSO under Dutch-Maltese conductor Lawrence Renes. This is the writing of a young Bartók, strongly influenced by Romantic composers and Debussy, and his score, including the challenging and chromatic vocal lines, is beautiful, colourful and lush.”

“The biggest share of praise, however, is due to conductor Lawrence Renes, who kept the singers precisely in tension while bringing his orchestra to a level of precision and dynamism I’ve never heard them equal. As a result Benjamin’s score emerged in this intimate acoustic with a clarity and immediacy I found neither in Aix nor in London… the results are overwhelming.” 5 stars

“Lawrence Renes draws a lustre and responsiveness as to confirm his rapport with musicians whose Chief Conductor he has been since 2012. One hopes he will be heard on disc with this orchestra again before long.”