News

"Without detracting from the Korean Maestro, there was nothing to regret under the baton of this young Nordic conductor, who conquered the experienced orchestra with his skills and appeal…"

Guerrino Mattei, Avanti Online
- (cancellation of Myung Whung Chung with Santa Cecilia March 2016)

"Wer bei der Aufführung der Bamberger Symphoniker und des Chores der Bamberger unter der Leitung von Pietari Inkinen nicht da war, hat etwas verpasst. Denn man wurde überrascht von der Erkenntnis, dass es immer noch etwas zu entdecken gibt. Denn Inkinen hatte die Partitur offenbar ganz genau studiert und Strukturen in den Stimmführungen gefunden, die vor ihm noch keiner entdeckt hatte - nur als kleines Beispiel: Die Flöte, die den ersten Einsatz des Bariton begleitet, war hier zum ersten Mal wirklich prägnant als Partnerin der Stimme herausgestellt. Es war insgesamt höchst erfreulich..."

"Anyone not there at the performance of the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra and the Bamberg Choir headed by Pietari Inkinen missed something. Because one was surprised by the realization that there is still something to discover. Because Inkinen had obviously studied the score very exactly and found structures in the parts that no one before has discovered - only one small example: The flute that accompanies the first use of the baritone was, for the first time really concise as an emerging partner of the voice. It was very satisfying overall..."

Thomas Ahnert, Beethovens "Neunte" als Entdeckungsreise zum neuen Jahr, in: Fränkischer Tag, 02.01.2016

... Inkinen´s treatment of Tchaikovsky´s Fourth Symphony, drawing out some of the most exquisite sounds I have ever heard from the Vancouver Symphony. The first movement was wrapped in a veneer of wistful nostalgia, with the second theme taken at a daringly slow tempo to breathtaking effect. I missed, however, some of the sheer raw power of the movement, especially the brass fanfare that opens the symphony. The elegiac second movement served as an ideal showcase for the orchestra´s exceptional woodwind section, with each player seemingly trying to outdo the others in how ravishingly soft they could play. In contrast, the final two movements were a dazzling, Nutcracker-esque romp that finely displayed the glittering virtuosity of the entire orchestra and sent the audience home on an appropriately festive note.

Bachtrack, By Kevin W Ng,
07 December 2015

One hardly thinks of New Zealand as a world centre for Wagner performance but under Inkinen the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra has set a standard that is rarely surpassed even internationally. It is just a pity that they weren't willing or able to put on the entirety of either opera, but in the meantime this gala served as a superlative stopgap. The sincere hope must be that in his new position of NZSO Honorary Conductor Inkinen will continue to bring artists of this calibre to join him in achieving similar Wagnerian heights of music-making.

Bachtrack, Simon Holden,
21 June 2015

"The sight of Inkinen, punching out Beethoven's reiterated shouts of D major freedom, will be with me forever"

William Dart, The New Zealand Herald
Jun 24th 2014

"The musicality, energy and commitment showed that such excellence only comes from hard work and superb leadership"

Anne McKinnon, The Dominion Post
Jun 20th 2014

"The crowd favorite, though, was Inkinen… he knows how to draw a sensuous, surging sound from the orchestra, his balances were superb, and there was an indefinable energy to it all. He has the potential to be one of the great Wagner conductors of this century."

James L. Paulk, Classical Voice North America
Dec 14th 2013

"The Melbourne Ring Orchestra, under the baton of Pietari Inkinen, is simply marvellous and drew out a multitude of colours across the four nights."

Simon Plant, Herald Sun
Nov 26th 2013

"Though Ring cycles have proliferated throughout this Wagner bicentenary year, Opera Australia's is rather special."

Andrew Clements, The Guardian
Nov 20th 2013

"Musically rich, theatrically enthralling, conceptually provoking, and visually gorgeous, this is an auspicious start to Melbourne's first Ring since 1913"

Peter Mccallum, Sydney Morning Herald
Nov 19th 2013

Conducting with an uncommonly deep and youthful momentum and with the deep intensity of a "shooting star" the young, elite Finnish conductor led all the orchestral groups and soloists to achieve excellence"

Fa, Saarbruecker Zeitung
Nov 21st 2011