critical acclaim for kristiina with euskadiko
Kristiina is looking back to a successful concert series in the Basque Country. With the Euskadiko Orkestra (National Basque Orkestra) she performed five concerts in San Sebastian, Bilbao, Pamplona and Vitoria-Gasteiz. On the programme: Fauré’s suite ‘Pelléas and Mélisande’ and Sibelius’ fifth Symphony. Together with soloist Baiba Skride she presented to the Basque audiences Schumann’s violin concerto.
Il Diario Vasco: “The warmth of the music of the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius and Poska's effective work on the podium in front of a powerful orchestra, beautiful in sound and ductile in gesture, crowned the evening. From the first of the three movements to the final ‘Allegro molto - Misterioso’ the Euskadiko Orkestra gave a strong performance, with fine brass, conducted by a magnificent conductor.”
Scherzo.es: “Earlier, the Euskadiko Orkestra had brought out its most refined sonorities in a beautiful suite from Fauré's Peleas and Melisande, luminous, warm and subtle, to finally unfold the grandeur of Sibelius' Fifth, a living force in the repertoire of the orchestras around us. From Poska's hand in the Euskadi, the different instrumental families were rising until in the final movement the cohesion of all the parts prevailed, modelling the sound as if it were acquiring body and life, completely transformed in relation to the still-present memory of Fauré. Many ideas came to mind, but it was Poska who revealed the clearest and most important one: how from a gentle gaze can originate an enormous musical intensity, the elegant harmony between the two sides of the human being.”
Ritmo.es: “Jean Sibelius' Symphony No. 5 closed the programme and took us into the 20th century. Here Poska achieved her greatest success. Written in three movements which by development are practically four, the Estonian showed us an enormous first movement with a breathtaking final coda, a balanced and serene andante mosso and a final allegro molto full of intensity and where brass and wind were at a level worthy of applause. An outstanding concert which has allowed us to discover two top-class performers whom we will be pleased to be able to enjoy sooner rather than later in another musical evening.”
Berria: “Sibelius spent a long time writing and revising his fifth symphony; it was also a rough process and he even came to think that the work would be "impossible". It is a complex work, mainly due to its formal peculiarities and experimentation. But at the same time, Poska's baton - an expert in this repertoire - well emphasized the sense of unity, supported by the fine activity of the musicians: the winds in molto moderato, the horns in Allegro molto, the reflection of the swans, the tutti until they reach the isolated chords of the last cadence. Winter is approaching, but the ears are still warm.”
Mikrokosmos: “After a short break, the musical activity resumed at the Kursaal with Symphony No. 5 by Jean Sibelius. With her interpretation of this Finnish composer Kristiina Poska demonstrated an absolute mastery of the work.”
