Andrew Gourlay - Conductor: Reviews

The Sunday Times, UK
...I caught a performance of one of Shostakovich's finest symphonies, No 10 in E minor, by the BBC Symphony Orchestra at the Barbican. It was conducted by the young Andrew Gourlay, standing in for Thomas Dausgaard, and again he revealed a natural ease and authority. The great formal arc of the long, lamenting first movement was expertly realised, the splenetic terseness of the tiny scherzo (an alleged denunciation of Stalin) all one would hope for, and the encrypted narrative structure offered itself vividly to the imagination.

The Guardian, UK
One wonders what the future now holds for Andrew Gourlay, assistant conductor of the Halle, who took over the BBCSO's latest concert from the indisposed Thomas Dausgaard. The impression was of the emergence of an exciting young conductor with tremendous potential.

Huffington Post
I became completely emotionally consumed by this performance, bold and vivid, tremendous and overwhelming.

MusicOMH
His appearance at this concert proved to be a triumphant success....This was altogether an outstanding performance, and the orchestral response was thrilling.

The Sunday Times, UK
There was a young conductor, the impressive Andrew Gourlay, clearly a natural, whose reading of Strauss's Don Juan was blessed by sumptuous horn playing near the end (but then, Strauss is "their" composer), and who finely judged the tonal weight and suaveness of continuity needed for Mendelssohn's Scottish Symphony.

The Guardian, UK
Andrew Gourlay is the latest in an impressive roster of Hallé assistant conductors that has included Rory Macdonald and Edward Gardner; and for his debut Gourlay chose a beguiling, rarely heard tone poem by Dvorak, The Wild Dove.
The Wild Dove is a lugubrious murder ballad, which Gourlay animated with haunting finesse. We will undoubtedly hear more from him.

Manchester Evening News, UK
Andrew Gourlay took the baton at the beginning of the second half and made Dvorak's late tone poem, The Wild Dove, a fascinating narrative - just what it was made to be.
He obtained vivid and tellingly phrased playing in the early sections (irony in music is always tricky to do, but he managed it), beautiful realization of the delicate blends of colour in the orchestration, and a big, dramatic climax that left no doubt about where we were in the story.

Mundoclasico.com
The Castilla y Leon Symphony Orchestra recaptured the sound of its glory days thanks to the work of the young british conductor Andrew Gourlay, recent winner of the Cadaques competition. Gourlay not only conducted the orchestra with precision, skill, fluidity, elegance, energy and laudable musicality, but also peformed a programme that was a breath of fresh air...

El Pais, Spain
Andrew Gourlay reached the final after surviving four elimination rounds, leaving behind the other 224 young conductors who took part in this prestigious competition...
The decision of the jury, chaired by Russian conductor Gennady Rozhdestvesky, for both competitors to conduct the same works in the final round clearly demonstrated the superiority of Gourlay. Self-assured, with firm clear gestures, the Briton conducted the work of Sanchez-Verdu, which tested the speed of the contestants in learning an unpublished contemporary score. Then he competently accompanied the soprano in her interpretation of the Mozart motet, managing to extract from the orchestra that fresh, transparent and crystalline sound that is so essential in the Salzburg-born composer. And he capped his performance with a good rendition of the Mendelssohn Overture.

La Vanguardia, Spain
Gourlay was rightfully awarded the first prize for his good control of colour and tension, for a Mendelssohn that connected with the orchestra: dynamic and highly expressive. Congratulations.

Norman Lebrecht
All it takes for a competition to get onto the musical map is to pick the right winners. Cadaques, in Spain, has just hit the jackpot for the third time.
In 1994, the winner was Gianandrea Noseda, who is just ending a tremendous decade with the BBC Philharmonic in Manchester. In 2002, Vasily Petrenko came top... This week, the first prize went to Andrew Gourlay, Assistant Conductor at the Halle in Manchester.
Clearly the northwest of England keeps a weather eye on Cadaques for its own benefit, but there is no denying the achievements of Noseda and Petrenko and, from what I hear of Andrew Gourlay, he too is destined to go the distance.

Seen and Heard International
This was an overwhelming performance with the Hallé musicians performing with remarkable commitment and energy. It used to be said that the Hallé gave their best performances under the legendary Sir John Barbirolli... Judging from this impressive performance it is evident that they are enthused by and have every confidence in their young assistant conductor. I wonder if we should be hailing Andrew Gourlay as the new Barbirolli.

Whimsical and delightful and often intensely passionate Gourlay successfully managed to bring out the undercurrent of melancholy that flows through the music.

Prokofiev’s vivid and exciting orchestration was ardently illuminated by Gourlay. The spectacular playing from the Halle required abundant reserves of energy and assurance. The Halle strings were deeply satisfying thoughout and the sound of the five horns would have honoured Bayreuth. There were times in this Prokofiev masterwork the Halle sounded like an authentic Russian orchestra.

Bachtrack
Through the evening Andrew Gourlay, the Hallé’s young Assistant Conductor, justified his selection by Gramophone as their ‘One to Watch’ in 2010. In particular he showed an excellent grasp of the Symphony’s architecture, and crafted a magnificent performance. His future engagements will be eagerly awaited.