"Conductor Benjamin Zander approached the score on Friday night with the poise and lucid insight of a veteran interpreter...The cellos unspooled the first movement’s famous theme with a warm songfulness and a graceful sense invitation. Overall the orchestra sounded at the top of its game." -Jeremy Eichler, The Boston Globe: Boston Philharmonic finishes season with the unfinished
"Few conductors in Boston have a feel for late Mahler the way Zander does. His bold direction could make winds and strings flutter and cry out without hampering the forward momentum of the music. Better yet, the Boston’s Philharmonic’s whisper was just as powerful as its roar — these delicate moments are indispensable way stations along Mahler’s quest for life." -Aaron Keebaugh, The Arts Fuse: Boston Philharmonic Plays Mahler’s “Das Lied von der Erde”
"For the last couple of seasons, the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra has been the most consistent orchestra in town. Pretty much every concert they play is imbued with an excitement, drive, sense of discovery, and joy of sharing that is rare among orchestras, period, but especially professional outfits." -Jonathan Blumhofer, The Arts Fuse: Boston Philharmonic Orchestra plays Bruckner’s Symphony No. 8
“Zander, who’s led some distinctly fine concerts in recent years, drew the best out from his band...these days, they’re at the top of their game.” -The Arts Fuse
"Zander delivered a performance that will linger in memory for its iridescence and humanity." -Boston Classical Review
"for Mahler enthusiasts, Boston has no better advocate than Zander." -Boston Classical Review: Rare Ives and epic Mahler from Zander, Boston Philharmonic
"The whisper of Zander and the Boston Philharmonic can be as exciting as their roar... This was the Boston Philharmonic at their biggest and most balanced, from timpanis down to piccolo. A packed house responded with a five-minute standing ovation, including whistles for each of the sections and multiple curtain calls for Zander." -Boston Classical Review: Fast and gripping, Zander, Boston Philharmonic bring fresh spirit to familiar Beethoven
"Zander and the orchestra triumphed with the Dvořák’s Seventh. This treasure trove of Bohemian nationalist tunes, multiplied by Brahms-worthy orchestration, shone from every quarter, with horns and flutes particularly rewarding this listener’s ear and with all string sections providing even and robust support throughout." -The Boston Musical Intelligencer: Boston Phil’s Brilliant Visegradian Happening
"But, surely, performances of such sweeping spirit and fun, like the BPO’s … are rare. It was, a truly great performance … the BPO’s playing was shapely, richly colored, and full-bodied." -The Boston Globe
"Mahler as it is meant to be." -The Boston Globe
"From the BPO you get thunder and lightning and the language of the heart” -The Boston Globe
"Forty years of bringing top-notch music to the communities of Boston" -The Improper Bostonian: Celebrate the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra’s 40th Anniversary with a Concert
