As Alsop faced the cellos and drew from them the most tremendously shaped phrases with every inflection of her baton, you were aware of being in the presence of greatness.
Dvořák: Symphonies Nos. 7 and 8
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
The bewitching scherzo of the seventh and the lyrical adagio and allegretto grazioso of the eighth stand out in these meticulous live recordings, Alsop drawing some wonderfully sensitive, silky playing from her Baltimore players.
STEPHEN PRITCHARD, THE OBSERVER (UK)
18th July 2010
Marin Alsop, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra [Naxos]. The “other” BSO (not Boston!) and Alsop continue their Dvořák symphony cycle with the kind of solid, competent work Alsop has become known for (they also released the 6th, later in the year).
ANNE MIDGETTE, THE WASHINGTON POST (USA)
December 2010
Alsop should please both the eager newcomer on the lookout for a recommendation and the seasoned collector who knows and loves the music but fancies listening between the staves. There’ll be no disappointment on either score.
GRAMOPHONE ‘RECOMMENDS’
August 2010
This splendidly recorded performance stands very high among available recordings…with Alsop both infectious and persuasively symphonic.
BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE
