The conductor shines as much in oiling the cogs of this captivating Hitchcockian suspense in the pit as in x-raying the remarkable art of Benjamin Britten in the interview that accompanies the show: "these artists (such as Britten)", she says, "are forced to silence a secret but manage to reveal it indirectly." She says again: “One can't look at the sun directly, but can perceive its presence by the shadows cast on the ground." There is no better way to describe the abyssal potential of the Turn of the Screw.
The millimetered precision, the agility, the dynamics, the colors are there and contribute to the emotion of the listeners: infinite details are perceptible, which we discover with delight. The baton of Elizabeth Askren, discovered on this occasion, is as attentive to the plateau as to the pit, and demonstrates a constant exigency. Britten's rich orchestration, his colorist art, his dramatic sense are magnified.
Elizabeth Askren, an early standout at the Hart Institute for Women Conductors and now a faculty member, will be back in March to lead Mozart's "Così fan Tutte" at the Dallas Opera.
"Conductor Elizabeth Askren led a glittering account of Britten's translucent score."
"Elizabeth Askren conducted a revelatory reading of Britten’s multi-faceted, difficult-to-categorize score. From the first haunting string glissandi, Maestra Askren elicited a haunting effect that soon morphed from the ‘spiritual’ fairy realm to the ‘spirited’ human scape and beyond, to the Music Hall sensibilities of the Mechanicals. Britten was a master orchestrator, and Askren inspired virtuosic achievements from the pit, from seamless ensemble playing to exposed, characterful solos, all beautifully rendered..."
"Under the direction of conductor Elizabeth Askren, the orchestra beautifully plays the music of Britten and lulls the audience into a dreamlike state from the beginning of the show. "
"Elizabeth Askren’s conducting captured the score’s magic"
"Appearing for the first time on the podium of the Orchestra and Choir of the Cluj Philharmonic, Elizabeth Askren brought the hall to its feet... Askren imposed through assurance and genuineness, with precise gestures, graceful assets which captured the attention of all those present, creating an atmosphere specific to unforgettable evenings."
“Her in-depth artistry, purposeful, determined, precise conducting shows that, like her conducting, she is careful and thorough in her (musical) research.”
“Elizabeth Askren…directed the concert as both conductor and narrator in a fine, attentive, and expressive manner…”
”The obvious, accomplished work leads to an amazing result, of verve, panache, and well-balanced harmony.”
”Elisabeth Askren will enchant the public. Energetic and precise gestures, a confidence that seduces irresistibly. She hypnotizes the entire hall. A revelation and the discovery of the Classic Symphony of Prokofiev.”
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