“"The great Helmuth Reichel Silva in a repertoire of extreme difficulty"”

27-05-2024Autor: Juan Antonio MuñozEl Mercurio

(On Bartok, Gershwin, Ravel and Bernstein)

"Helmuth Reichel Silva is a conductor of the highest level. In addition to his profound musical knowledge, he approaches the works he performs from a highly refined personal perspective, without ever giving in to mere effect or self-staging.

He is a serious musician with an unusually developed ear, which enables him to conduct the works on this programme in an outstanding manner, building up the most varied rhythms and displaying a timbral tapestry that at times seems inexhaustible. His decisions on tempo, dynamics, articulation and balance were always correct, with surprising precision.

The programme began with Béla Bartók's The Miraculous Mandarin (1918-1924), a fascinating piece that shows the composer's mastery of Hungarian folk music, colourful orchestration and harmonic innovation. Conducting the orchestra, Reichel Silva was able to create a sense of suspense and tension throughout the work, conveying its restless world of mystery, violence and passion. It is indeed very difficult to achieve a unique and evocative sound from such a complex convergence of textures, and Reichel succeeded. Admirable.

Then came George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in blue" (1924), in which the composer fused elements of jazz and classical music. Here the maestro had at his side the extraordinary Chilean pianist Danor Quinteros, a virtuoso who added a rich imagination, deployed in a cadenza of his own invention, which even had a touch of humour.

Imagination, deployed in a cadenza of his own inventiveness, which even lacked touches of humour. He was rightly applauded. And the Philharmonic, as with Bartók, was dazzling, with remarkable ensembles in strings, winds and percussion.

After the intermission came Maurice Ravel's "Rapsodie espagnole" (1907-1908), exuberantly orchestrated, with insinuating and allusive melodies and dynamic and timbral contrasts, which Reichel handled with exquisite elegance, making the piece visually and aurally attractive. Only a profound knowledge of a work like this can give coherence to its complex tonal discourse, which plays with abrupt changes in volume and orchestral colour. It was the climax of a concert of the highest level.

Finally, Leonard Bernstein's "Symphonic Dances" from the musical "West Side Story" (premiered in 1957) was chosen, again with a focus on rhythm. The percussion section, which plays a crucial role in the conga, mambo and other allusions, did a great job, as did the trumpets and saxophones, which are responsible for the urban atmosphere of the piece. Reichel led the audience in a natural way from the most explosive passages to the more lyrical and intimate ones, which reveal the conflicts of the characters in the work.

In short, an unusual programme in its ensemble, novel, rich in references, masterfully played from beginning to end by a consolidated Philharmonia, with a pianist in his prime and a conductor who could be in any leading position in the world."

“Triunfal Inauguración de Temporada”

20-04-2019Autor: Jaime TorresGran Valparaíso

(On Bartok‘s Concerto for Orchestra)

„With total authority, Reichel Silva managed to unravel the intricate Bartokian discourse, achieving a top-level response. (…) With clarity, he obtains a gallery of individual and overall achievements. Magnificent indications of character, emphatic tempi plus a meticulous work on textures, timbres and colours. An unappealable artistic triumph. (…) Undoubtedly, this performance validated Helmuth Reichel Silva once again as a conductor of great talent and musical maturity, obtaining maximum performance from the orchestra.“

“Helmuth Reichel Silva, Conductor”

15-04-2019Autor: Walter KrumbachEl Cóndor

„Under Helmuth Reichel Silva‘s baton, the well-known sounded completely new, literally unheard-of.“

“Stravinsky y sus huellas”

24-03-2019Autor: Gonzalo SaavedraEl Mercurio

(On Stravinsky‘s Le Sacre du Printemps)

„His pulse is so exact and his attention to detail so effective, that he made the orchestra sound like never before with this work. (…) His conception is strict, but it leaves a personal mark in the extended silences, full of mystery, in the contrast of tempi, as well as the wellbuilt crescendi, with a dynamic controlled at all times. (…) With a secure leadership, the orchestra played rigorous and inspired. (…) A mature and precise interpretation, a complete success.“

“Futter für die Seele: Helmuth Reichel Silva dirigiert SWDKO”

15-02-2019Autor: Sandra PfallinPforzheimer Zeitung

„Already at the beginning it becomes clear: he burns for the one thing, has devoted himself to the music with body and soul. (…) He conducts with temperament, never exalted, never overflowing, but entirely at the service of music.“

“Sinfonieorchester MH Lübeck zu Gast”

14-10-2018Autor: Susanne WittorfKieler Nachrichten

(On Richard Strauss‘s Don Juan)

„With a differentiated conducting, the 35-year-old exceptional conductor from Chile succeeded in working out all the nuances of the three pieces presented. His interpretation of Richard Strauss´ Don Juan, based on a poem by Nikolaus Lenau, was literally bursting with sensual power and vitality.“

“Helmuth Reichel Silva y la Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional Juvenil: Como profesionales”

09-10-2018Autor: Jaime DonosoEl Mercurio

(On Tchaikovsky‘s 4th Symphony)

„We are in front of a conductor who has very clear ideas that, with a master hand, he knows how to transmit to the orchestra and to the audience. The resounding ovations did not only come from the audience, but also from the members of the orchestra themselves, who enthusiastically expressed their satisfaction with the work done by him.“

“Un sólido director para una niña fueguina”

16-07-2018Autor: Jaime DonosoEl Mercurio

(On Beethoven‘s 4th Symphony“)

„These prodigies were revealed in all their originality thanks to the impeccable leadership of Reichel Silva, who with intelligence and full authority built a memorable interpretation.“