REVIEWS
FROM THE PRESS
Hacko recently returned from a spectacular tour to China with Camerata Philadelphia and Baltimore Opera Chorus where his performances were hailed as "mesmerizing" (Shenyang) and "as though plugged into a high voltage current" (Beijing Press). R. Schmidt, Kronen Zeitung (Austria) The performance, which showcased another regional premiere of Peteris Vasks' work and two standards by Tchaikovsky and Beethoven, was executed with brilliance and conviction. It revealed the orchestra as a finely-tuned ensemble and Hacko as an artist of international stature whose passion, understanding of music, and technical mastery rightly inspire audiences. W. Glacken, The Sacramento Bee With the assured leadership of the conductor [Zvonimir Hacko} the orchestra sounded exhilarating and polished. It was a type of event that offered something substantial for both the ears and the eyes. Re. Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra M. Ruskovic-Krstic, Slobodna Dalmacija (Croatia) Joined by four stellar soloists, and Oregon Mozart Players, the ensembles presented a stirring program of music by the Hungarian composer Zoltan Kodaly, various solo songs from Russia, Armenia, and Croatia, and most importantly, the American premiere of a two-year-old Mass by the Croatian composer Igor Kuljeric. . . Zvonimir Hacko, led both the choral group and the Oregon Mozart Players to superb performances. Marilyn Farwell, The Register-Guard (Oregon) The orchestra, under Hacko's careful guidance, was showing us that it, too, knew how to lead the music. . . The great Beethoven Symphony No. 3 ("Eroica") fared well indeed. . . As the score swung from ensemble to individual voices and back again, the individual passages stood out with drama and clarity. The scherzo was quick but not hurried. The irresistible finale, a merrily swinging progress of variations, was expressively played to its triumphant end. A. Stein, Kronen Zeitung (Austria) ________ |