Very good, but the orchestra needs practice
by Omnisage on 2023-12-05Meridian Arts Centre: George Weston - TorontoRating: 4 out of 5The orchestra is extremely talented and they have great potential. It’s hard to believe the conductor is self-taught and began his orchestral career only recently. However, as someone whose ears have been trained on hundreds of hours of classical music from various orchestras, the Mandle philharmonic has a long way to go. There were noticeable pauses when they stopped to turn their sheets. In my opinion, there were some off-key moments as well—pretty subtle, but still noticeable. Furthermore, in the fourth movement of Beethoven’s ninth, the tenor and baritone voices were almost completely drowned out by the other instruments. This was very unusual to witness, and I was pretty surprised this was not caught during the rehearsals. Once again, my criticism is probably too harsh since I’m comparing them against the best. Notwithstanding, the Mandle Philharmonic is still a pretty good orchestra. I would totally recommend them to new and experienced classical enthusiasts alike.