Reviews
3. Aufzug Parsifal. "Viele Bravos"
.. schreibt der Kurier zum 3. Aufzug von Richard Wagners "Parsifal"
"Jedes Motiv arbeitete Paternostro präzise heraus. Diese Schmerzensmusik erklang mit einem Höchstmaß an Intensität, aber dennoch nie übertrieben. (...) Die Besetzung, die an den bedeutendsten Opernhäusern und in Bayreuth gefragt ist, ließ keinen Wunsch offen."
"Diesmal war man jedenfalls auf Grafenegg verwiesen, wollte man einen Karfreitagszauber der Weltklasse erleben. Dort wurde zwar nur der dritte Aufzug gegeben, doch Roberto Paternostro führte die Tonkünstler zu einer Transparenz und Schmerzensintensität, die man in Wien vermisste. Fabelhaft auch die Besetzung von Klaus Florian Vogt, Stephen Milling und Derek Welton." News
"Diese Art dynamischer Feinarbeit, präziser Steigerungsdramaturgie und delikater Farbgebung vermisst man im Repertoirealltag oft." Krone online
(Link: https://www.krone.at/3315962 )
CD with Selina Ott and RSO Vienna
Selina Ott is one of the most outstanding trumpet soloists. With the RSO and Maestro Roberto Paternostro she recorded hardly known works by Alexander Arutiunian, Wladimir Peskow and Alfred Desenclos: worth discovering, brilliant interpretation.
News, 2021
Richard Wagner: Das Rheingold - CD Release
Pizzicato: The most interesting aspect of this recording is Roberto Paternostro’s conducting and the interesting orchestral playing he obtains from the Kassel orchestra. From the entire Kassel Ring, now finally available, this first part has the best singer cast.
L'Avant-Scène Opéra: Roberto Paternostro dirigeait preste, collant à la suractivité de la scène, exaltant la modernité radicale de la « petite comédie » voulue par Wagner pour ouvrir sa Tétralogie
Der Neue Merker: [...] gelang dem Dirigenten, der mit großer Plastizität Gesungenes und Instrumentales zu einem aufregenden Ganzen zu verschmelzen wusste und neben allen dramatischen Höhen und Abgründen auch die Kantabilität aller Gesangspartien zur Geltung bringt und uns auch den ganzen Witz des Musikdramatikers aus der genialen Partitur heraushören lässt.
Richard Strauss: ELEKTRA
Teatro Colón, Buenos Aires
La Nacion: Roberto Paternostro, who carried out a superb job, without concessions
Clarin: Impeccable direction and strong cast for Elektra at Colón
Buenos Aires Herald: The Colón’s Elektra, best mark of the season.
I was very impressed by the huge orchestra led by Roberto Paternostro, absolutely basic for a fine Elektra. The professional firmness of everyone, the Expressionist response to the innumerable accents, the rapport with the stage, the impeccable tempi, were necessary for the undoubted success of this Elektra.
ForumOpera.com: Roberto Paternostro offers a very musical and rather analytical interpretation of the score. … under his baton the orchestra seems to "sing" rather than accompanying the dramatic situations. It is rare to hear so much beauty in this score.
G. Verdi: FALSTAFF
Premiere: September 2014, Teatro Colón, Buenos Aires
La Nacion: ... in the hands of a director capable of achieving the ideal sound for each of the symphonic parts of this work.... With its fluidity, musicality and expressivity, Roberto Paternostro was responsible for this interpretation full of musical virtues.
with Ambrogio Maestri (Falstaff), Bárbara Frittoli (Alice) et al
Chorus and Orchestra Teatro Colón
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Die Presse: music of astounding quality in terms of cultivation, reliability of intonation and precision (Götterdämmerung)
News: Roberto Paternostro, a most competent Strauss interpreter (Ariadne auf Naxos)
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung: a moving performance (Tristan)
Ha’aretz (Tel Aviv): it was one of the best concerts of the Israel Chamber Orchestra in recent years
SALOME Premiere at Palm Beach Opera, March 2013
Palm Beach Daily News: Conducted by Roberto Paternostro, the all-star cast gave a memorable staging of the opera. [...] So it was rewarding to see the Palm Beach Opera Orchestra shining under Paternostro. It was the orchestra’s best performance in years. The distinguished maestro was able to get the best from the musicians.
South Florida Classical Review: In his PBO debut, conductor Roberto Paternostro superbly rendered the demanding score, with heroic brass and lush strings capturing the kaleidoscopic colors and shifts.
Colón-Ring: Teatro Colón, Buenos Aires
Richard Wagner: Ring des Nibelungen
Deutsche Welle: Return of the 'Ring'
The Teatro Colon's dual orchestras were amalgamated into two Wagner ensembles, dividing up the evening between themselves and playing with bravura under conductor Roberto Paternostro. The soloists, all steeped in the art of Wagner singing, generated storms of applause.
La Nation: Desde el punto de vista de la interpretación musical, la propuesta fue de primer orden en razón de la jerarquía del director Roberto Paternostro, quien, al frente de las orquestas del Colón, cumplió una labor superlativa en cuanto a la elección de matices, manejo de las intensidades y concertación íntima con las voces, pese a que la mayoría de los cantantes debió actuar sobre un montaje de escalones muy molesto y hasta peligroso.
Página 12: la extraordinaria actuación del director musical –el vienés Roberto Paternostro, brillante en su interpretación y sometido, además, a la inédita exigencia de permancer en el podio durante esa cantidad de horas
Die Welt, Süddeutsche Zeitung: The Austrian conductor Roberto Paternostro received special affirmation for his monumental performance
Bayerischer Rundfunk: Completely convincing: conductor Roberto Paternostro
Mannheim, October 2012: Akademiekonzert with Beethoven's Symphony No. 6 "Pastoral"
A Beethoven, as we haven't heard it for a long time. Compact, perfect, subtle balanced sound. Beethoven comes with all the power, with logic and coherence [...]. Great jubilation at the end
Ionarts, Washington D.C.: Best Recordings
"A must-listen" Hans Gál, Violin Concerto, Thomas A. Irnberger, Roberto Paternostro / Israel Chamber Orchestra, Gramola
... another enterprising label: Gramola from the heart of Vienna. I could really include four Gál release in this list: Symphonies No.3 (Woods), No.1 (Zehetmair), No.2 (Zehetmair), and the Violin Concerto (Paternostro). It is the last-named that I feel most like singling out. [...] Thomas Albertus Irnberger, Roberto Paternostro, and the Israel Chamber Orchestra add just that extra little touch of lyrical sweetness to the work that makes it not just take off, but soar. A must-listen for the lover of the unknown ‘Third Viennese School’ of lost romantics à la E.W.Korngold, J.Marx, F.Mittler, etc.
US Debut Cincinnati
Janelle Gelfand. June 7, 2011
The Cincinnati Enquirer: The afternoon concluded with a rewarding performance of Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 3 in A Minor, "Scottish." There was something about Paternostro's warmth, clarity and natural musicality that proved irresistible. Lyrical themes were beautifully felt, and the conductor captured the atmospheric moods of this Scottish postcard.
The orchestra responded with inspired playing, and the performance was enhanced by stunning contributions by the horns and a winning clarinet solo by John Kurokawa. I'm not sure how the musicians kept up with Paternostro's very brisk tempo in the scherzo, but the effect was effervescent. Let's hope we hear more from this maestro.
Read review
Israel Chamber Orchestra in Austria
Concerts at Haydnfestival Eisenstadt (September 16) and Brucknerfest Linz (September 19)
NEWS: Eisenstadt. [...] Roberto Paternostro, the principal conductor of the Israel Chamber Orchestra, received international recognition. The renowned orchestra shined in various ways in the "Haydn Festival". Paternostro ignores dictations of style: Haydn's B flat major symphony Hob. I:102 stormed as an early Beethoven piece; The overture to the "Marriage of Figaro" hasn't been played this fast for a long time. The transcription of the Mahler "Wunderhorn" songs for Cello solo, performed by the virtuoso Friedrich Kleinhapl, was a worthwhile risk to take.
Noble musical "Fire-bringer" from Israel
OOE Nachrichten: On Sunday morning the Israel Chamber Orchestra performed a series of musical gems at the Bruckner Festival in Linz, Austria, led by their main conductor, Roberto Paternostro. Last year, the Vienna-born conductor Paternostro (53) became Music Director of this prestigious Orchestra, founded in 1965. The combination of an experienced conductor and an excellent orchestra resulted in a magical matinee concert.
Prometheus who was known as a rebel, might have assisted Beethoven in his rebelliousness; Against the will of Zeus, the "Fire-Bringer" formed various creatures, but only the Muses helped the creatures find their souls. At the beginning of the concert, the overture to Salvatore Viganò's ballet, "The Creatures of Prometheus" lit a musical fire for the audience. This fire continued throughout the performance. Schubert's Third Symphony in D Major, composed in 1815, his "Lieder" (songs) year, followed, as well as Haydn's overture "L’Isola disabitata" and Mozart's prestigious "Haffner" symphony. The encore was the lively "Hochzeit des Figaro." […] The superior orchestra and conductor carried away the audience with a thrilling program.
R. Strauss „Ariadne auf Naxos“, Vienna
Repeat performance September 2009
Heinz Sichrovsky, News (Austria): 'Ariadne' in a production which would honor (truly) every house. Roberto Paternostro, a most competent Strauss interpreter, led the orchestra – even in the challenging prelude – to new heights of performance.
Wiener Zeitung (Vienna): One highlight of the cast was Endrik Wottrich, whose perfectly sung Bacchus was a true rarity – and a real feat, given the fact that he was supposedly indisposed. [...] Similarly outstanding was the Volksoper Orchestra under the direction of Roberto Paternostro [...], which applied itself to the task with obvious enthusiasm.
CD Mozart: Masonic Music
American Record Guide: It was a splendid idea to collect all of the known and surviving “Masonic pieces” into a comprehensive anthology; the result is fascinating and rewarding. The Spohr Chamber Orchestra [...] produces an ideal sonority: modest in weight, yet warm in tone, with exemplary balances and unforced transparency—just right. Conductor Paternostro (a pupil of Karajan, Dohnányi, and the ubiquitous Hans Swarowsky) leads polished, energized readings that also seem ideal. He never leans into anything for effect, yet he seems effortlessly to extract every scintilla of poetry or ritualistic dignity from each selection. [...] overall excellence of the music-making [...] Indeed, every track is played with an ideal blend of style and sensitivity
Gramophone: The other out-and-out masterpiece here is Maurerische Trauermusik, music of remote, austere beauty that incorporates ancient plainchant. Roberto Paternostro’s driven tempo rather undermines the work’s hieratic dignity, though he encourages the hard-working Kassel strings to a notably brusque, angry performance of the C minor Fugue. The chorus sings with aptly robust enthusiasm; and Heo Yong-Hoon fields a pleasing, compact tenor…this is a useful survey of music that remains largely unknown to all but the most dedicated Mozartians.
Allmusic.com: An essential item for the Perfect Mozartian, never less than adequately performed
MusicWeb International: Mauerische Trauermusik: Roberto Paternostro on the new recording takes this work at a rather faster pace than usual…but he maintains much of its essential dignity. […] Paternostro’s tempi in the opening Dir, Seele des Weltalls, are also rather faster than Schreier’s or Kertész’s. This works well in this short cantata of praise to the sun, soul of the whole universe and provider of fruitfulness, warmth and light. […] The recording is good throughout.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: the Masonic Funeral Music must stand as one of the composer’s most profound outpourings.
Guardian: The familiar Masonic funeral music remains the towering masterpiece, though the gnarled-sounding Adagio and Fugue in c minor is almost its equal in its depiction of spiritual struggle. The most curious work is probably Die Ihr Des Unermesslichen Weltalls Schöpfer Ehrt, a cantata for tenor and piano that now strikes us as almost new-agey in its assertion that all religions derive from a single spiritual source.
Kurier (Austria): Roberto Paternostro is an especially skilled conductor of the Kassel Spohr Chamber Orchestra; [...] a rare piece of high symbolism.
News (Austria): A sensational new recording, worthy of discovery.
CD Release: Strauss/Beethoven/Wagner – Arias and scenes
Opernglas 12/2009: Thanks to clear enunciation, the listener can easily follow the narration provided by Wagner's Isolde and Brünnhilde in the final arias, ably accompanied by the Württembergischen Philharmonie under the direction of experienced conductor Roberto Paternostro. Encouraging is the quality of the orchestral work and the producers' absolute refusal to compromise in the selection of musical partners for the artists in the spotlight of the recital. This would be a welcome trend, as far too often in the recent past, CD producers have chosen to save on musical arrangement or accompaniment, much to the detriment of the final product.
Between Naxos and Israel
Wiener Zeitung: The unknowing pioneer: Paternostro is proud to have carried off a successful debut – even if he didn't know at the time that it was one. The oboe concerto of Richard Strauss – who is not an unproblematic figure from an Israeli perspective – was performed for the first time in Israel with Paternostro as conductor. 'A critic informed me that this was in fact a premiere,' said Paternostro.
Opening the chamber of secrets
Jerusalem Post: The romance between the ICO and the busy international conductor, who was born in Vienna to Venetian parents, studied with Hans Swarowsky, Christoph von Dohnanyi and Gyorgy Ligeti and later became the assistant to Herbert von Karajan, started three years ago.
Read full interview
Mozart's "The Magic Flute", Vienna
Heinz Sichrovsky, News (June 2009): With a highly reputable cast spanning the generations, 'The Magic Flute', under the direction of Roberto Paternostro, principal conductor of the Israel Chamber Orchestra, achieves new heights of inspiration.
An Ear Full of Music
Concert of the Israel Chamber Orchestra conducted by Roberto Paternostro at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art (2008)
Ha'aretz (Israel): The sound of the orchestra was enriched ... the driving playing of the orchestra led by the conductor Roberto Paternostro was remarkable. It seems that interaction between the Italian-Viennese conducor and the orchestra is very successful. In general, it was one of the best concerts of the Israel Chamber Orchestra in recent years.
Richard Wagner's "Tristan und Isolde"
Premiere at the State Theatre Kassel
Gerhard R. Koch, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 2007: Sophisticatedly nuanced sound of the orchestra under Roberto Paternostro with gorgeous piano cocoons woven by the woodwinds, proof of the enhanced levels of instrumental artistry. All in all, a moving performance.
www.opernnetz.de : The musical skills of the Staatstheater Kassel Orchestra are positively exciting: Roberto Paternostro, as animated as always, inspires this clearly highly-motivated orchestra to produce piano passages of extreme intensity, breathtaking moments of absolute silence, and tutti explosions of lucid clarity. Great music is being made here, with constant and perceptive balancing with the singers, and in fascinating consonance with the intimate events on the stage.
Susanne Zobl, News (Vienna): Outgoing general music director Roberto Paternostro, who has already released a verifiably excellent 'Ring' on CD, demonstrates again that he is up to the task: a deathly somber and weighty prelude, an intimate and subtly-played love duet, and finally an expressive and explosive third act which exposes the orchestra as the true protagonists.
The ideal Verdi conductor - Giuseppe Verdi's "Don Carlos"
Focus Musikszene: Roberto Paternostro is the ideal Verdi conductor: he leads the orchestra to passionate yet graceful musical heights, and appears to breathe in rhythm with the singers.
Richard Wagner: Siegfried
FonoForum: Meaning is imbued in this performance by Roberto Paternostro, whose exegesis of the score is characterized by a wealth of detail paired with constant observance of the overarching line. Convincing – and refreshing – is the lack of bathos.
Richard Wagner: Die Walküre
(CD release)
pizzicato: Following 'Götterdämmerung' and 'Siegfried,' which deserve our attention in great part thanks to the forceful personality of conductor Paternostro, now the release of 'Die Walküre' recorded in 1999. Paternostro continues to impress, demanding and receiving transparent and exciting sounds from his orchestra.
Stereoplay: Conductor Roberto Paternostro offers so much more than a congenial accompaniment to the singers: the leitmotivs are worked out in a crystal-clear fashion. He allows for absolutely precise playing in the preludes, produces a Todesverkündung scene exhibiting the transparency of chamber music, and creates a 'Ride of the Valkyries' which is free of hollow bathos.
Richard Wagner: Götterdämmerung
Bruckner Festival Linz (Austria)
Die Presse (Vienna): A sheer event thanks to the rare chance provided to experience Wagner's music in all its leitmotiv-driven complexity, undisturbed by incongruous or even provocative visualizations. Making this possible was conductor Roberto Paternostro, a native Viennese enjoying renown abroad and currently installed as general music director in Kassel. His skill with the baton made it possible for the Bruckner Orchester of Linz to produce music of astounding quality in terms of cultivation, reliability of intonation and precision. Yet contrary to a first impression of intellectual distance, this conductor is capable of producing emotional warmth, and delivers the powerfully crafted climaxes and devastating moments of tragedy of the score with skill.
Recordings
