Here, with the complete symphonies of Robert Schumann, that alert responsiveness he achieves with his players is similarly at the fore. Yes, we are now moving well into the Romantic period, but that crisp alertness and deft responsiveness across orchestral sections simply works to create marvelously engaging music. Is it too light, too bright, too spritely? No, I think not. To my ear it all just works brilliantly.
Positive Feedback, 07-1-2025
String sizing and good mixing work also ensure special attention for the woodwind and brass voices, which emerge with balance even where Schumann's orchestration would pose some basic imbalances.
Classic Voice, 01-12-2024
Having heard these performances multiples times now, what strikes me about them is their detail—precision of rhythm and de Vriend's control over balance and timbre. Nothing is muddy or smudged, and nothing is distorted for the sake of expression.
Fanfare Magazine, 01-11-2024
Don't miss these revelations: the discovery of the Norwegian phalanx plays a major part in them.
ARTALINNA, 24-10-2024
...the sound of this new release is excellent: Every section of the orchestra is placed nicely in the soundstage, and it puts the listener in an ideal position to revel in the clarity and power of the orchestra.
Fanfare Magazine, 01-7-2024
The first two symphonies by Schumann directed by Jan Willem de Vriend. - Disc CHALLENGE CLASSICS CC72958: Robert Schumann / Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2 / Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, dir. Jan Willem de Vriend
Rai Radio 3, 24-4-2024
De Vriend is deeply engaged in the Adagio espressivo and cantabile slow movement, which has a quality of heartfelt remembrance about it.
Music Web International, 21-4-2024
Here De Vriend decidedly opts for the romantic Schumann, for the interplay between “Florestan and Eusebius”, and in the slow movements conjures up the enormous lyrical power and the flowing beauty of his melodic lines.
Rondo Magazine, 20-4-2024
The recording overflows with good cheer, yet the music is also taken with the utmost seriousness. The orchestra has clearly worked diligently on refining entrances and rhythmic details. I particularly note how beautifully the bright woodwinds play in the first movement of Symphony No. 1, and how rhythmically precise the brass delivers in the fast third movement. The excellent and lively playing makes this a recording of world-class quality.
Ballade, 03-4-2024
There's a great deal to enjoy, and nobody is likely to be disappointed with these performances. (...) Such accomplished, high-class music-making makes the imminent follow-up with the Rhenish and Fourth Symphonies an enticing prospect.
Gramophone, 01-4-2024
Jan Willem de Vriend and Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, who bring both swagger and elegance, in equal measure, to this finale.
BBC Radio 3, 16-3-2024
The sound of the orchestra from Stavanger is rich and sonorous throughout. De Vriend brings his historical understanding to the orchestral palette.
Pizzicato, 03-2-2024
Press
Jan Willem de Vriend: Working with this orchestra is very special, and I think it has to do with a very old tradition. A long time ago, they invited my colleague, Frans Brüggen, just as he was starting to conduct. He learned the orchestra about the old music style, the way of playing in the time of Mozart, Beethoven, Bach—how they played and how you must approach the music. On his part, Brüggen put something in the orchestra that I would say is now part of their DNA: the flexibility, the curiosity, and the way to approach the music. It’s so special, here in Stavanger. Schumann’s music is to me something unique, because what he’s writing is so personal; on one hand it is sometimes very emotional, but on the other hand, it’s technically perfect. In music, I don’t often find those two elements together.