“The partnership proves to be exceptional, Minasi eliciting both honed and dynamically varied timbre from the ensemble, compelling us through the opening tuttis of each of the three movements with phrase characterisation that leaps off the page and delivering an informed period performance style that ideally serves the distinctive contour of CPE Bach’s vital, bold and intoxicating melodic lines.”

“All this was conducted persuasively by Riccardo Minasi […] Not only does he have a clever way of holding back phrases where the music seems to take on a questioning or wistful tone, but he also brings the orchestral textures alive with deft accents and by highlighting often hidden inner lines. Those imaginative touches were evident in a performance of Symphony No 31 that delighted from start to finish.”

‘There was then Beethoven’s Eroica: the Mozarteum Orchestra and Riccardo Minasi delivered a Beethoven milestone.. The piled-up closing movement turned into a grandiose triumphant finale, which was rightly enthusiastically applauded for a long time.’

The best was saved for last in an account of Mozart‘s Symphony No.39 that positively fizzed with good spirits. The atmosphere crackled in a fulsome introduction to the first movement, which took on a waltz-like form, Minasi’s prowess as an opera conductor clear for all to see through his dramatic instincts and more tasteful rubato. The slow movement was perfectly judged, initially and deceptively straightforward but with stern interventions from the woodwind. These highlighted the lyricism of the main subject, once again beautifully phrased. A warmly coloured Minuet followed before the finale sprang out of the traps, violins easily handling the considerable demands placed on them in rushing scales and rapid string crossing. So good was this concert it was a shame when we entered the closing bars of the symphony, but we did so with great positivity, Mozart – and Minasi – inspiring us through their wonderful craft.

“Riccardo Minasi has a definite affinity for Strauss… he drew sparkling sounds from the score.”

“Directed by violinist Riccardo Minasi and harpsichordist Maxim Emelyanychev the performances sport a vivid character — not Rococo airs and graces, but earthy energy and truculent humour.”

“Never knowingly understated, Minasi and his musicians offered vibrant playing to underpin those gymnastics, with surging violins and thudding bass lines. But they showed a calmer, more fluid side in arias such as Hasse’s Ebbi da te la vita from Siroe, re di Persia. The instrumental contributions between arias were more than just filler: they included concertos and sonatas by little-known Neapolitan composers.”