Press
Review: San Antonio Symphony presents winning Shostakovich symphony
- David Hendricks
“The orchestra, under Lang-Lessing’s insightful baton, gave a compelling reading of this rarely performed piece at the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts.”
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Pianist Ax launches symphony with poetic power
- David Hendricks
“To finish the concert, Lang-Lessing selected the perfect Beethoven symphony, the famous No. 5. For this night, nothing was held back. The orchestra played in full roar, especially to introduce the final movement. In the first movement, Lang-Lessing ordered a harrowing edge to the break-the-shackles theme. Bold French horn calls distinguished the third movement.
As the No. 5 drew near the end, the cellos and the basses combined to underscore the music’s firmament. From Julie Luker’s thrilling piccolo to the thundering basses, the orchestra pulled off a throw-your-hat-in-the-air finale.
The concert began with Beethoven’s Overture to “Egmont.” The musicians’ rich, full sound and Lang-Lessing’s exquisite phrasings led up to wonderful horn calls as the theme of unity and determination in the face of oppression formed fully.”
MoreTerrific Singing, Baffling Flowers and a Climactic Gunfight in Opera San Antonio’s ‘Macbeth’
- Thomas Jenkins
“The orchestra is conducted with panache by Sebastian Lang-Lessing, with efficient stage direction by Chrystal Manich. The chorus, under master Dottie Randall, sounded swell (and during Verdi’s nationalistic anthems, even swelling). “
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Review: Cleopatra death rivets symphony audience
- David Hendricks
“The orchestra was exceptional, under the baton of Music Director Sebastian Lang-Lessing, in works by Maurice Ravel and Gershwin. Ravel’s “Le Tombeau de Couperin” was played with flair, delicacy and sweetness.”
MoreSan Antonio Symphony shakes Tobin walls, helped by drummer Stewart Copeland
- David Hendricks
“The orchestra under Music Director Sebastian Lang-Lessing sounded gorgeous, especially during the slow, hymnal second movement [of Saint-Saëns’ Third Symphony].”
MoreAt Seattle Opera, a fun and feisty trip through the woods with ‘Hansel and Gretel’
- Melinda Bargreen
“The orchestra, led by Sebastian Lang-Lessing, was really the star of the production, performing Humperdinck’s opulent neo-Wagnerian score with lyricism and accuracy. Lang-Lessing never overwhelmed the cast or let the pace flag.”
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Seattle Opera’s ‘Flying Dutchman’ unleashes gloriously perfect storm
- Melinda Bargreen
“Conductor Sebastian Lang-Lessing … coaxed vivid and exciting performances from an orchestra that knows [Wagner] inside and out.”
MoreSan Antonio Symphony delivers diamond-sharp Beethoven 9th
- David Hendricks
“Although it was only three years since the orchestra last performed this popular work, it takes intense and efficient rehearsals to perform this work with such diamond clarity and beauty.
After the dramatic first movement, Lang-Lessing, conducting without a score, delivered a vivacious, brisk and sweeping scherzo. Jeff Garza on the horn, Paul Leuders on oboe and Peter Flamm on timpani were perfect in their exposed roles.
The moving and emotional adagio was relaxed and luxuriant, with horn player Adedeji Ogunfolu splendid in his solo.
The final movement exploded like a thunder clap before the cellos and basses took over as snippets of the previous movement’s themes were quoted. The music reflects Beethoven’s mental pursuit for perfection here as he rejects the previous themes until a new one appears.”
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