Elly Salomé
"...The Rotterdam Philharmonic again performs under a guest conductor this week...that the intended program did not have to undergo any alterations speaks very highly of Alexis Hauser who was deputized to conduct at the last minute. With this, Hauser...unexpectedly made his debut in our country (the Netherlands). It was an introduction that neither orchestra nor audience needed to regret. The real test for Alexis Hauser.. was naturally the Fourth Symphony by Brahms....Conducting from memory, Hauser gave proof of his thorough European training (in Vienna with Hans Swarowsky, in Siena with Franco Ferrara and in Salzburg with Herbert von Karajan) and his strong artistic personality through gestures that clearly reflected his convincing interpretation. The broad gestures, definitely appropriate for this romantic repertoire, express the need to sketch broad lines and to create an unlimited intensity of sound, which the orchestra provided without reserve. Fortunately Hauser kept his interpretation from becoming excessive by providing disciplined metric limitations for tone duration, which suits a symphony of such classical form as Brahms' Fourth. Even the enrgetic Scherzo retained satisfactory profile and it will only gain from the following performances when conductor and orchestra will be more used to each other...."
"...The Rotterdam Philharmonic again performs under a guest conductor this week...that the intended program did not have to undergo any alterations speaks very highly of Alexis Hauser who was deputized to conduct at the last minute. With this, Hauser...unexpectedly made his debut in our country (the Netherlands). It was an introduction that neither orchestra nor audience needed to regret. The real test for Alexis Hauser.. was naturally the Fourth Symphony by Brahms....Conducting from memory, Hauser gave proof of his thorough European training (in Vienna with Hans Swarowsky, in Siena with Franco Ferrara and in Salzburg with Herbert von Karajan) and his strong artistic personality through gestures that clearly reflected his convincing interpretation. The broad gestures, definitely appropriate for this romantic repertoire, express the need to sketch broad lines and to create an unlimited intensity of sound, which the orchestra provided without reserve. Fortunately Hauser kept his interpretation from becoming excessive by providing disciplined metric limitations for tone duration, which suits a symphony of such classical form as Brahms' Fourth. Even the enrgetic Scherzo retained satisfactory profile and it will only gain from the following performances when conductor and orchestra will be more used to each other...."