Concert Schedule 2012 / 2013

Glyn Pursglove, Seen and Heard International, 13th September 2012
“Michael Francis and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales relished the piece’s possibilities in a richly vivacious reading, full of effective dynamic contrasts and a very real sense of the dance; the brass, in particular were on excellent form……We are back at the very roots of the European mind and emotions and this, coupled with Tippett’s fascination with Jungian archetypal thought, gives to the music of these dances a universality, a kind of all-embracing vigour and energy, qualities which Michael Francis elicited from the BBC National Orchestra of Wales in abundance, shaping the music with a thoroughly persuasive sense of pattern and climax in a manner that was altogether exhilarating, and simultaneously reflective. By the time we reached the end of this programme we had had far more than a metaphorical helping of Mediterranean sunshine (welcome though that was); we had been helped to understand the genuine unity which underlies those obvious differences which make up ‘Europe’.”

Stanley Fefferman, Opus One Review, 4th October 2012
“The Beethoven 5th Symphony in C Minor was full of surprises. Michael Francis, the daring, young, British Conductor made his TSO debut memorable by building a vivid account of this classic. Taking a conservative tempo to start, Mr. Francis took Beethoven’s abrupt turns in the score forcefully and at full volume, and let them sink tenderly. The effect was gripping, a reading Romantic in the style of Tchaikovsky. Maestro Francis also made much of the 5th’s martial elements, both slow and quick, in the subsequent movements.”

Tom Strini, Third Coast Daily, 3rd November 2012
“Francis’ remarkable combination of clarity and expressive force made for both precise ensemble and emotionally charged playing in this very difficult passage.”

Alan Yu, Bachtrak.com, 19th November 2012
“Michael Francis handled the shifts of mood in Taras Bulba extremely well – the orchestral textures were transparent, and the drama was compelling.”

Andrew Druckenbrod, Pittsburgh Post Gazette, 26th January 2013
“But credit has to be given to the guest conductor for taking some artistic risks, such as putting some of the solo parts out in relief, that brought out their inner might and drama.”

Melinda Bargreen, Seattle Times, 15th March 2013
“He has made a specialty of ‘saving the day’or other indisposed conductors at the last minute, but the young English maestro Michael Francis is now well on his way to making a career in his own right. His credentials — clarity, lyricism, and rapport with the musicians — were amply evident in his Thursday return to the Seattle Symphony, the orchestra with which he made his U.S. debut three years ago.…The players gave an unusually expressive reading of the Elgar, with an especially rich string sound that Francis clearly elicited from the podium. At the performance’s conclusion, when the final crescendo brought in the full orchestra and the Watjen Concert Organ with bass stops that rival the rumble of a Boeing jet, and the energetic Francis was practically airborne off the podium, the total effect was staggering. It was a performance that made you realize yet again that there is nothing like the live sound of a great orchestra in a great hall.”

Bernard Jacobson, Seen and Heard International, 18th March 2013
“The Ritual Dances are taken from the first of Tippett’s five operas, The Midsummer Marriage, in which Joan Sutherland, as a rising young soprano, first made her mark in 1955, a few years before she became “La Stupenda.” Credit for the success of the dances on this occasion must go not only to the composer, but to the resplendent performance guest conductor Michael Francis drew from the Seattle Symphony. The set provides a tremendous work-out for every section of the orchestra, and the players, clearly rehearsed to a fare-thee-well, vividly realized the sheer glowing sensuousness and euphony of Tippett’s score. The big moments were projected with warmth and glittering color, there were some coruscating violin lines from the first and second violins’ front desk players, spotlighted in a concertino-line capacity, and Christopher Sereque and Laura DeLuca shaped their clarinet duets with mellifluous aplomb.”