Latest Reviews


2007


The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London, Great Britain
26 June, 2007


Malcolm Miller, July 2007

A revival of Bloch's early C sharp minor symphony
"The early and seldom performed Symphony in C sharp minor by Ernest Bloch formed a fascinating and stirring climax to superb concert on 26 June 2007 by The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under the button of Dalia Atlas..."
"... revival of Bloch's symphony, given to an enthusiastic audience in London's Cadogan Hall as part of the RPO's 60th Anniversary Season, was brainchild of the energetic advocate and champion of Bloch's lesser known works, the Israeli conductor Dalia Atlas, whose recordings, for ASV and Naxos, have brought to the light many unfamiliar masterpieces.
Dalia Atlas has made a distinguished international career as a conductor of wide repertoire and her inspirited approach was evidence from the start..."
"...excellent communication between conductor and soloist..."
"...Dalia Atlas delivers a performance of the work which was as exciting as anyone might imagine..."
"...a chance to hear this remarkable work was rare and exicting treat. In this performance, one was constantly amazed at the incredible imagination of this young twenty one years old, whose language drew on the late Romantic influence of his time yet also looked strongly ahead to the first half of the 20th century."
"...Throughout Dalia Atlas conducted the RPO with panache and elan. Her dynamic puposefulnress and focus sustained momentum yet allowing many magical moments to emerge tellingly.
It was a memorable performance of a turn of the 20th century symphony which Romain Rolland, after its early performances in the first quarter of the century, declared 'one of the most important creations' clearly deserves a new recording and Dalia Atlas is clearly the one for the task. Record companies take note!"


Robert Matthew-Walker, July 2007

"It was an act of considerable faith on the part of The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Dalia Atlas to conclude their program at Cadogen Hall on 26 June with Ernest Bloch Symphony in C sharp minor, a very early work dating from 1903..."
"This proved to be a very welcome act of restitution, for it is a vast score, playing fully for an hour, and scored for a large late Romantic orchestra..."
"It is impressive music, clearly no deserving its neglect, and I must whole-heartedly commend Dalia Atlas' dedication to this music for she obtained a very convincing account of the score..."


La Traviata by Guiseppe Verdi, Lublin, Poland
8 June,2007


Dorota Gonet, July 2007

"The performance of La Traviata by Guiseppe Verdi, which took place on Friday evening in Lublin's philharmonics, gathered a completely full auditorium..."
"Dalia Atlas, as the first woman in the history, reaped lures in 7 international conductor contests. She has over one thousanad pieces in her repertoire, including opera works..."
"Dalia Atlas had control over the whole performance, she knew perfectly not only the score, but also the individual arias or duets. From the beginning, implication of drama, in the direction of which the plot was developing, the conductor superbly graded the tension, consistently building the architecture of work, as the director of the theatre. We had a real piece of art on the philharmonics' stage, performed with great effort of all the artists and for the Lublin's music lovers it was undoubtedly one of the unforgettable evenings."


Bloch: Four Episodes, Two Poems, Concertino, Suite Modale


William Kreidler, Music Web, November 2007

"The Fact that none of these somewhat rare works by Bloch are first recordings bodes well for his discography. None of them fall into his well-known "Jewish" or "Neo-classical" periods. In this, her third volume of Bloch orchestral music for Naxos, Dalia Atlas - who also supplies the liner-note - deals with smaller-scale works. But the pieces here are all worthy of the same attention given to the better-known works. They show aspects of his musical personality that one could not discover elsewhere..."
"...performances more authentic and indeed her conducting of the entire disc is exemplary."


David Hurwitz, July 2007

Artistic Quality 9/9 Sound Quality
"...Dalia Atlas leads beautifully idiomatic performances of all her four works.
Atlas has the various large and small ensembles at her disposal playing in fine form. The sonic, various recording dates and venues, are surprisingly consistent and always very good..."
"...excellent performances of very high-quality, enjoyable music..."


Leslie Wright, July 2007

"Ernest Bloch is remembered today primarily for his cello and orchestra work, Schelomo. It remains a mystery why more of his music isn't performed with any regularity. His music is individual enough, easy to absorb, and very colorful. Occasionally, one gets to hear his first Concerto Grosso and Violin Concerto, but not much else..."
"...conductor of the recordings under review, has made a real effort to reverse this, having done extensive research on Bloch and recorded nearly 20 of his orchestral works for ASV and Naxos. She also writes the informative program note in the booklet accompany this CD. Admittedly, she greatly overstates Bloch's importance in the history of music by stating that Bloch was recognized and appreciated during his lifetime as a successor to Bach, Beethoven and Brahms.
Nevertheless, Bloch does not deserve the general neglect he has received and this recording should help the cause..."
"..All the performances from various groups are excellent and the recorded sound is consistently superb..."
"...Dalia Atlas obviously has a real affinity for the music of Bloch. Again Naxos has come up with a real winner that should make new converts to Bloch's music. If you think Bloch wrote only Schelomo, you should sample this disc."


2005


Bloch: America, Suite Hebraique


Remy Frank, Pizzicato Music Magazine, March 2005

"In the catalog of Ernest Bloch the name of the Israeli conductor Dalia Atlas is well known. We should pay a great interest to the current one.
Dalia Atlas conducts the composition with a lot of involvement, still is careful to avoid too much pathos, thus enabling the Nobles of the music to be well expressed. A CD which should be on the shelf of every lover of good symphonic music"


John France, Music Web International, July 2005

"The Israeli conductor Dalia Atlas has already carved out a reputation as a Bloch specialist..."
"Atlas' attention to dynamics is very pronounced and she brings out some telling moments..."
"The present recording is an eye opener to me. I love it! It is fantastic, gorgeous, exciting and brilliant, fun, tuneful and moving - all rolled in one"


Rob Barnet, Music Web International, July 2005

(America) "Ms Atlas makes the most of its strengths. My memory tells me that she leaves a more indelible impression than Stokowski..."
(America and Suite Hebraique) "These are both good performances..."
"This will be a surefire winner for Bloch specialists and also for those intrigued by patriotic immigrant Americana"


Davis Hurwitz, July 2005

Artistic Quality 8/8 Sound Quality
"...Dalia Atlas has managed to curve herself on disc as a Bloch specialist, and her interpretation remarkably resembles Stokowski storied recording for Vanguard in terms of tempo and overall shape. In other words it's quite persuasive."
"...this more panoramic vision of the piece allows the sometimes bewildering succession of musical events to register with additional clarity..."
"The Slovak Radio Symphony (and the chorus) handles the music surprisingly well, and the engineering is also perfectly respectable, if not outstanding."
"Suite Hebraique...is a lovely, seldom performed triptych given a warm an characterful performance by violinist Hagai Shaham and Atlas, this time with the conductor's eponymous Israeli ensemble the Atlas Camerata, and it's good to have this music readily available."
"...Bloch is one of those composers who deserve to be better known."


Hecht, American Record Guide, November 2005

(America) "I thought Stokowski made the best case for a mediocre piece but changed my mind after hearing the newcomer. Dalia Atlas seems more adept at leading a work based on folk music. She gets on with it, employing sound tempos and natural phrasing. Her leadership is direct, there is direction in the line and her rhythm and transitions are clean."
"It can be argued that the Slovak Philharmonic is not polished as Stokowski's Symphony of the air, but it plays with more of energy, focus and strength the piece needs."
"The Naxos sound is excellent and better balanced front to back than Stokowski's fine, up close acoustic."


2004


Bloch: Israeli Symphony, Suite for Viola and Orchestra, ASV


Greg Barns, Australia - Hobart Mercury, April 2004

"Ernest Bloch's Israel Symphony is a fine work exploring the yearning of Jewish people for homeland and his Viola Suite is a fascinating mixture of Javanese and Chinese themes. Both works are beautifully lyrical, pastoral with an undertone of melancholy. The Viola Suite is reminiscent of Maurice Ravel. Dalia Atlas is the acknowledged expert on Bloch's music and her performances are first class."


Andrew Achenbach, Gramophone, April 2004

"committed performance of somewhat rarely heard colorful repertoire."
"Dalia draws some sprightly playing from her eponymous band, and this makes eminently enjoyable listening. Good sound too."
"Atlas obtains an accomplished, big-hearted rendering"
"The disc as a whole deserves warm welcome"


Jonathan Woolf, Classical Music Web, April 2004

"Some remarkable orchestral color and exotic instrumentation in this version that is well worth hearing. The evocative arching support, the suggestive winds and coiling strings are all pregnant with meaning both expressed and occluded."
"Yuri Gandelsman proves a masterful guide."
"The Atlas Camerata is especially fine at evoking the acrid intensity..."
"The Slovak Radio Orchestra are on top form"
"Dalia Atlas directs with idiomatic command"
"This is all strongly and understandingly done and enthusiastically recommended"


Eric Levi, BBC Music Magazine, March 2004

(Israel Symphony) "Dalia Atlas and the Slovak Radio Orchestra certainly makes the most of the music's theatricality."
(Viola Suite) "Violist Yuri Gandelsman, abled supported by the Atlas Camerata Orchestra proves to be a most persuasive advocate of this fascinating work evoking the mysteries of the Tropics to particularly magical effect in the Nocturne."



Previous Reviews


The London Times

“The most unusual and welcome event of the evening was to see a lady on the podium. Dalia Atlas of Israel presented Ravel’s Mother Goose Suite. Her reading, too, was completely relaxed and will be remembered for the gloriously voluptuous tone she drew from the strings.”


The Manchester Guardian

“She looks a natural with the baton; a clear beat, gestures which are all the more convincing… she is all grace, grace from her wrists to her toes. The orchestra liked playing with her. The BBC’s Northern Head of Music, Mr. Gerald McDonald, said emphatically: “She’s a very good musician”.


The Liverpool Daily Post

“Dalia Atlas handled the first movement (of Beethoven’s Second Symphony), completely and sensitively. Her natural style wisely makes no attempt to emulate masculine forcefulness and prefers to rely on a very sensitive ear… Her reading… was enchanting and she drew exquisite playing from her orchestra.”


Il Messaggero (ROME)

“A woman conductor is a rarity, but a good woman conductor is even more rare. This is the case with Dalia Atlas.”


L’Osservature Romano

“Her manner of conducting is full of enthusiasm, that she communicates to her orchestra, who follow her faithfully.”


Prof. David Epstein (MIT)

“What you accomplished…was a miracle, and I am enormously impressed. You are really a remarkable musician.”


The Houston Post

“Dalia Atlas reached the sounds and the enthusiasm that only Toscanini reached before.”


The Houston Chronicle

“Dalia Atlas set new high standards conducting the (Houston) orchestra. It would be quite a challenge to keep this kind of excellence during the next concerts.”


American Record Guide

“Atlas - One of today’s finer conductors.”


Musical Opinion, GB

“First lady of the baton.”


The Musical Times, London

“Masterly Interpretations….”


Sir Yehudi Menuhin

“Prof. Dalia Atlas is one of the most effective, impressive and capable conductors I know. I have heard her at various concerts with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, whose members all admire her, and her experience and musicianship are indisputable. She has held positions not only as Artistic Director and Conductor of excellent symphony orchestras, but has also held high pedagogical positions in music academies. She is thus an all-around musician, whom I can recommend without hesitation, and I am delighted to affirm that her name ‘Atlas’ is, in this case, totally appropriate. She carries an orchestra with ease.”