On 8 March, the premiere of Ballade for Orchestra took place in TivoliVredenburg (Utrecht), performed by the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Hannu Lintu as part of a programme that also included Sibelius’ Violin Concerto and Nielsen’s fifth symphony.
Dennis Weijers from De Volkskrant wrote the following review:
“Not one, not two, but three highlights last Friday in TivoliVredenburg, Utrecht. The Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, led by the Finnish conductor Hannu Lintu, played a programme consisting of Carl Nielsen’s Fifth Symphony, the Violin Concerto by Sibelius – starring Alina Ibragimova – and a premiere of the Dutch composer Mathilde Wantenaar.
Her brand-new Ballade is typically Wantenarian: eclectic, free from pretention, and saturated with French nostalgia. You find yourself in a Parisian salon during the fin de siècle, a recording studio in pre-war New Orleans or a slum in Buenos Aires. Charming trombones meet silky-soft violins, but Ballade remains somewhat fragmented and never really breaks free. During the groovy moments you wish The Buddy Rich Band on stage since the classically-rehearsed jazzy rhythms stagger like a new-born baby goat on its stiff little legs.”