Thrilling Saint-Saëns symphony leads Denève’s engaging New World program

“(…) Under Denève’s baton, the bombast in the Saint-Saëns’ was there, empty or not, and no one could accuse Denève of underplaying the climaxes. Yet he never overdid them either, and balances within the orchestra were finely controlled with a corporate tone of great resonance and weight.

(…) Denève took a brisk approach to the melodies. The graceful tune of the “Lion in Love” section, for example, came off as a single, fast-paced burst of passion, an approach that was more effective than taking time to luxuriate in it. To the entire work, he brought a sense of theater, with dramatic pauses and sudden sharp dynamic contrasts that made clear this music was telling a story.”