Reviews
A selection of reviews from around the world
"The energy and vibe of a rock band with the ability of a crack classical chamber group." Washington Post
“[The ACO] plays everything with raw, high-spirited, rhythmically propulsive energy…Early music doesn’t get much hipper than this.” Los Angeles Times, 2009
“For vitality, elegance, playfulness and technical prowess - all the qualities you want in a chamber ensemble, really - it would be hard to top the ACO, which made one of its rare but indispensable visits to the Bay Area on Sunday afternoon. Under Richard Tognetti, the group's artistic director and concertmaster, this crackerjack ensemble plays with the sort of fleet rhythmic control and tonal purity that most chamber groups can only envy.” San Francisco Chronicle, 2009
"Tognetti and his 21-piece group can apparently play anything, and they play it all with tremendous verve." San Fransico Classical Voice, 2009
"The ACO is not the only ensemble whose members perform standing up, but it is one of the few for which the posture seems to make a difference. Hearing the group perform on Sunday night at Zankel Hall, you could easily believe that its kinetic, precise and engaging playing was simply too exuberant to be bottled up by sitting down." New York Times, 2009
“The Australian Chamber Orchestra is a ticket to musical bliss” The Times, 2001
“The Australian Chamber Orchestra is a breath of fresh air on the world’s classical music scene.” US Tour Review, April 2000
“Listening to the ACO is like taking a swig of a vitamin drink. Suddenly: pow! The music certainly feels stronger, muscled, hot from the gym… If that’s what Australia does for you, I’m also emigrating.” The Times, 2008
“A visit from the ACO always raises questions. Does violinist Richard Tognetti, its leader for 19 years, have a slowly mouldering portrait in the attic? Can ugly players even audition? More pertinently, let's ask about what we settle for from music-making in the UK - why do so few of our ensembles present their music with this kind of ear-grabbing vigour?” The Guardian, 2008
“What a pleasure and yet what a shock it is to be reminded of just how remarkable a performance can be.” The Scotsman, 2008
"Considering that the entire ensemble consisted only of two oboes, two horns, harpsichord, and a handful of strings (some twenty players in all), the variety and range of the offerings, not to mention the overall excellence of the execution, put the average big orchestra program to shame." Classics Today, US, 2009
“The ACO is a firecracker ensemble, explosive in its spirit and nice-looking in its black silk concert uniforms designed by Akira Isogawa.” Boston Globe, 2005
“Astonishingly warm, fullbodied and tightly focused: the sound radiating from the crammed Wigmore Hall stage could only have come from the marvellous ACO….Such panache, such confidence! Eighteen minds thinking and breathing as one. Heavenly playing, but that was expected: you’d have to scour the universe hard to find another band like the ACO.” The Times, 2003
“…all were standing, except the cellists, and playing with rhythmic vitality, forceful energy and something that can only be described as balls. There is nothing holding British ensembles back from chucking out the niceties and performing with this kind of bravado – so why don’t more of them try it?” The Guardian, 2003
"The lean, sleek ensemble from Down Under is well enough established now to dare a little with its selection of tour repertoire. In a refreshing change from the standard chamber music blockbusters, the group offered a diverse collection of works spanning three centuries, cleverly united by the theme of a descending minor scale, symbol of intense melancholy." Financial Times, 2006
"It probably did not come as a surprise to those who knew it through its recordings, but the ACO had those who were listening for the first time riveted to their seats..." El País, 2006
"This concert was that rare thing, a beautifully shaped whole in which all the parts were absolutely in tune with each other and with the space. The orchestra played like angels throughout, with springing rhythmic grace and impeccable style. (Tognetti) is one of the most characterful, incisive and impassioned violinists to be heard today." The Telegraph, 2006
“Unified, polished and energetic…virtuoso ensemble playing and an invigorating spontaneity that seemed to flow from Mr. Tognetti’s charismatic leadership.” New York Times, 2004
"Tognetti's sound - and his orchestra's sound - has rough edges, and those rough edges are a kind of glory. Theirs is the aggressive give-and-take approach of musicians playing for themselves - the take, sometimes, as in take no prisoners.” Los Angeles Times, 2004
“The ACO realises that classical musicians must shake themselves out of hibernation if they are to survive in the 21st century. It’s time for pioneers, and the ACO seems to be leading the way.” US Tour Review, April 2000
“The ACO took the breath away. Such supple phrasing and dynamics! Such a gorgeous tone. Such freshness, passion, and commitment! This group must be the best chamber orchestra on earth.” The Times, 1999
“The performances were impressive not only for their unfailing virtuosity and unanimity of spirit but also for the individuality they found in each work…the evening seemed a fascinating, even slightly adventurous, journey with interesting companions.” New York Times, 1998
“Flawless ensemble, beauty of tone and boundless energy were the hallmarks of this superb concert by the ACO…it is rare to hear the chamber repertoire dispatched with such a combination of finesse and vitality.” San Francisco Chronicle, 1998
“ACO shines because each individual has the artistry and technique to play music the way they want to hear it. They don’t do what is easier or more reliable. They don’t choose a moderate tempo because they can’t play faster. They simply don’t compromise.” Herald Sun, 2007
”This concert made me fall in love with music all over again” Sydney Star Observer, 2005
“On the eighth day God created the ACO and appointed a leader – Richard Tognetti – who was nothing less than visionary.” Herald Sun, 2005
“Brilliant playing on the edge of the abyss.” Sydney Morning Herald, 2004
“With the Shostakovich Symphony 110a, we heard a quintessential ACO performance pulsating with an electrifying energy, sending volts of such thrilling vibrations that even the dead would be awakened.” Herald Sun, 2003
“This is the sort of concert that deserves all the high murmuring it can get. With such an impressive combination of bold programming and impeccable musicianship, the ACO’s commitment to serious music performance is beyond doubt. And they have that rare quality of looking as stylish as they sound. Not that that really matters." media-culture website, 2003
“When the ACO is in top form, it has no rival.” The Age, 2002
“Every single detail of this unfailingly expressive score was cherished as though it was the most precious, never-to-be repeated moment in all time.” The Advertiser, 2002
“The ACO has continued to stimulate, challenge and excite music lovers as it continually reinvents itself.” The Courier-Mail, 2000