Reviews August 2010

Jyllands Posten 16/8 2010

John Christiansen

Fine professional musicians and pedagogues play classical music together with international talents. A high quality series of concerts.

Thy Masterclass opening concert in Thisted Church

Thy is currently [Denmark's] centre for outstanding and vibrant chamber music. Officially known as Thy Masterclass, this event is based on the idea that a handful of experienced, professional music pedagogues coach young, international musicians. They focus on the technique, spirit and essence of chamber music performance, culminating in concert performances where both pupils and teachers participate.

See www.thymasterclass.dk and discover how exceptional and exciting concert programs can be forged, joining both older and newer musical works.

The opening concert in Thisted Church was certainly worth the journey - and so is the landscape. The trio, with masterclass' artistic leader and charismatic flutist, American-born Craig Goodman, the dazzling Hungarian viola player, Máté Szücs and the Danish harpist, Charlotte Nyborg, offered a great evening performing four works, starting with Debussy's second sonata followed by Svend Nielsen's new Intermezzo...

Thisted Dagblad 16/8 2010

Henrik Svane

Thy Masterclass - a welcome challenge

The programs are evidence of superb quality and first rate professional organizing by those involved with the festival; an enormous amount of work goes into this. The concert commenced with two works for flute, viola and harp by Claude Debussy and Svend Nielsen. Svend Nielsen's newly composed work contrasted with Debussy's magical sounds offering, at times, a plaintive melancholy. The composer's flair for tone color, where harmonic interplay between the flute and viola are woven into a particular power and intensity with the harp, along with his knowledge of the three instruments' potential for dynamic extremes and accentuation, is exceptional. Violist Máté Szücs' brilliant tone was especially memorable. The composer received well-deserved applause.

The standard among this year's participants is again impressive. And one is indeed tempted to refer to the international attention created by Thy Masterclass.

Thisted Dagblad 17/8 2010

Henrik Svane

Johannes Brahms is a hit in church

There was a standing ovation for the musicians in Vestervig Church on Sunday 15 August at the end of the concert after a brilliant performance of Johannes Brahms Quintet in G Major, Opus 111, for two violins, two violas and cello.

The concert started with Mozart's Quartet in G Minor, K 478, for violin, viola, cello and piano, performed by the four artist pedagogues, Elisabeth Zeuthen Schneider, Máté Szücs, Morten Zeuthen, and Daniel Blumenthal. Their vivacious approach to the performance gave Mozart's work lightness and clarity and, largely due to the pianists brilliant technique, a pleasing energy, distinct, clear and dynamically balanced.

Ludwig van Beethoven's 7 variations in E-flat major on Bei Männern, welch Liebe fühlen, from Mozart's opera, The Magic Flute, was performed by Morten Zeuthen, cello, and Kai-Yin Huang, piano. Her superb finesse, exceptional sound and technical control were convincing and beautiful. And with Morten Zeuthen's exceptionally sensitive - and also dramatic - cello playing, there arose a special magic and pensiveness.

Morsø Folkeblad 19/8 2010

Gerda Buhl Andersen

A concert to please

Thy Masterclass thrilled the audience in Ansgar's Church

Perhaps the greatest experience was after the interval, when violinist Suyeon Kang exchanged places with her coach, Elisabeth Zeuthen Schneider, to play first violin in Tchaikovsky's Souvenir de Florence for two violins, two viola's and two cellos.

You can certainly say that she is a violinist that draws musicality out of the Russian steppes; one almost fears that it will run away! But no, that just doesn't happen, and that is precisely what is so special. This taming of wildness, with such precision, is rarely achieved by any musician.

Clarinetist Eric Jacobs from Los Angeles managed to get through the eye of the needle for the second time. This year there were over 100 applicants, but only 14 were accepted. Cellist Jacob Shaw from England is going to pursue studies in September with his Thy Masterclass coach, Morten Zeuthen, at the Royal Academy of Music in Copenhagen. So we are likely to hear more from them too.