Recent Reviews: Rigoletto

David Mellor, Mail on Sunday, 12.6.11:   'Most impressive of all was the vivid conducting of another rising young talent, Toby Purser.'

George Hall, Opera, 4.6.11:  '...conductor Toby Purser, whose keen understanding of Verdi’s score is demonstrated in every single bar.'

Hilary Finch, The Times, 7.6.11:  'Such is the musical energy under the baton of young Toby Purser, that this Rigoletto makes its own distinctive mark.'

Anna Picard, Independent 19.6.11:  'The ensembles are well-balanced, the English Chamber Orchestra's performance under Toby Purser as vivid and precise as its Wagner was not. Purser can colour a moment without losing propulsion or line.'

Fiona Maddocks, Observer, 12.6.11:  '...cast, excellent chorus and English Chamber Orchestra were incisively conducted by Toby Purser.'

Giles Woodforde, The Oxford Times, 15.6.11:  'Musically, excellent conductor Toby Purser keeps the score neat, clean, and transparent: there’s none of the lush, self-indulgent wallowing that sometimes overcooks Verdi performances. I’ve never heard the English Chamber Orchestra play better — the poignant woodwind writing, in particular, shines through.'

Mike Reynolds, Musicalcriticism.com, 15.6.11:  'The English Chamber Orchestra were conducted by Toby Purser, who made a good impression. Purser kept tempi brisk and flowing, got the rhythms and accents into the music in all the right places, and kept the balance between stage and pit well-judged at all times: he was considerate to his singers, and they followed his beat well.'

Recent Reviews: Orion Orchestra

Music OMH :  ' [Purser]... raised the performance to the level of the truly ethereal....an incredible performance.'

The Independent:  'If you want to learn the secret of classical music’s perennial good health, look no further. The programme was stunning...the sound had at times a burnished perfection.... The way Purser and his players negotiated the sinister muted waltz in the second movement [of Shostakovich Symphony No.9], and the grotesquerie of the last, was masterly.'

Seen and Heard International:  'The real star of the evening was Toby Purser, who directed the whole show with a mastery and understanding of the music. His careful preparation of the orchestra, and his interpretations, were eagerly welcomed by a very enthusiastic audience.'

MusicWeb International:  'Toby Purser led his equally young musicians assuredly through the potential minefield of this mainly Romantic music. The Tristan Prelude had an apposite yearning quality to it but there was also a youthful eagerness to press on with the chromatic melodies.'

Music OMH: '...played with enormous ebullience and abandon...This intense and energetic performance [of Shostakovich Symphony No. 9] by Purser and his forces was a welcome outing for this under-rated and seldom-performed work, ending a hugely enjoyable evening of contrasting moods.'

Classicalsource.com: 'From the first notes of the Overture to “Ruslan and Ludmila”, this was going to be a fireball of a night... I hope Purser's chutzpah will propel him to great heights... His programming choices reveal a foresight that goes bravely beyond a superficial showcasing of the ensemble.'

British Harpsichord Society: 'The concert included Elgar’s Serenade for Strings, in which Purser coaxed a most touching pianissimo from the orchestra, and Vaughan Williams’ great Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis, in which Purser aimed, and succeeded, in giving us ‘a glimpse of something of eternal beauty’.'

ArtsHub UK: 'With the unruffled sincerity and deep-seated intuition of conductor Toby Purser, the unfettered engagement of every player gave a sense of a living, breathing orchestral organism with an electricity entirely its own. This is a brave and inspired initiative which warrants wholehearted support from the Arts community and its patrons at every level....'

Seen and Heard International: 'This was the most exquisite sound imaginable...a well characterized performance, full of humour, especially the loud declamations from the sorcerer himself.' (Dukas - The Sorcerer's Apprentice)

"....rousing heartfelt playing... Beautifully stylish"   (The Independent, June 19th 2008)

"Music making few will forget"   (Cherwell newspaper, May 2008)