Robert Trevino Makes Unplanned, Triumphant Debut at NDR Hannover

Robert Trevino conducted Bruckner and ShostakovichIn a last-minute substitution somewhat reminiscent of an earlier landmark in his young conducting career, Robert Trevino last week flew in to replace an ailing colleague at the NDR Radio Philharmonic Hannover.

The highly-sought-after young American conductor made a great impression conducting the orchestra in Shostakovich's Cello Concerto No 2 and Bruckner's Third Symphony, as can now be heard by all, since the orchestra have published a recording of the second concert on their website here.

Said the orchestra's general manager, Matthias Ilkenhans, "Robert Trevino did a marvellous job...The orchestra and I would be delighted to welcome him again here to Hannover."

Reviewers agreed, with the Neue Presse observing that, "...[in the Bruckner] each passage had its own character...[At the end], rarely-seen in the NDR, there was a standing ovation." The Hannover Allgemeine Zeitung wrote, "(Trevino) offered a wonderfully striking, rather rapid interpretation of the symphony. He never succumbed to the temptation of losing himself in the big romantic ensembles. Even the different sections...unconnected at first glance, were bound together by the strict tempo relationships, which is not often the case. Nevertheless (Trevino) did not shy away from dynamic and sonic extremes. The Scherzo breathed, in spite of the fast tempo, with a rural and alpine serenity. And the prodigious finale has hardly ever sounded so fresh and light-footed."

Trevino, replacing the ailing Markus Poschner, was thrilled with the collaboration, saying that, "the NDR Radio Philharmonic is a very special orchestra. Sometimes these things come together at the last-minute and then you have a wonderful experience. That was certainly the case here, as the recording published by the orchestra I hope attests, and I look forward to many more partnerships with this orchestra in the future."

Trevino's international career was similarly launched by a last-minute substitution, when he stood in at the Bolshoi Theatre for Vasily Sinaisky to conduct Verdi's Don Carlos in 2013 - an engagement that led to one critic noting that, "There has not been an American success of this magnitude in Moscow since Van Cliburn" and to a coveted Golden Mask award nomination.

Robert Trevino was recently announced as the incoming Music Director of the Basque National Orchestra.

Robert Trevino, shortly to take up the reins as the new Music Director of the Basque National Orchestra, started his career, with his mentor David Zinman, as an Aspen Conducting Fellow where he won the James Conlon Prize for Excellence in Conducting. James Levine selected him to be the Seiji Ozawa Conducting Fellow at the Tanglewood Music Festival, and he has also studied with Michael Tilson Thomas and Leif Segerstam (whom he assisted at the Helsinki Philharmonic). He has been Associate Conductor at the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (2011-2015) and held the same title for New York City Opera (2009-2011), where he also worked on the world premieres of five new operas.

The past two seasons have seen many major debuts, among them the Vienna Symphony, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, London Philharmonic, Detroit Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Rundfunk SInfonieorchester Berlin, Munich Philharmonic, Bamberg Symphony, Dresden Philharmonic, Orchestre Nationale de France, St Petersburg Philharmonic, Frankfurt Radio Symphony, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, City of Birmingham Symphony, Rotterdam Philharmonic and Danish Radio Symphony.

Photo credit: Musacchio&Ianniello