Review | February 12th 2024
Rita Fernandes for The Strad
“The joyful stride of the Novo could not have been more different. Its rehearsal, although still disciplined, was filled with the musicians’ laughter and an eager exchange of feedback.”
…
“It’s easy to say in retrospect because the Novo did end up winning, but as soon as the musicians played the first chord in the Mendelssohn Quartet no.2 in A minor, I knew they would. It was so pure, perfectly balanced, packed with musicality and yet so simple in its beauty. Although I thought the Nielsen was their best performance overall, it was the climaxes in the second movement of the Mendelssohn that gave me goosebumps.”