See & hear

« OFJ displays truly astonishing quality. Plastic in Strauss, responsive in Bartók, these students, well prepared by their new musical director Kristiina Poska, have clearly mastered the exercise. Together, they sketch out Metamorphoses with a clear line: its long organic developments unfold naturally, without pathos or sophistication, and with a form of modesty that does not renounce tenderness. More extroverted, their Bluebeard's Castle meets every dramatic requirement of the score, rendered thrilling in a few bursts – veritable ground swells that still send shivers down the spine, such as the apotheosis at the opening of the fifth door. At the start of her tenure, the maestro's ambition is clear: to launch OFJ into the (very) grand repertoire. And we can only agree. »

« When reviewing youth orchestras, we always start with their freshness and enthusiasm. However, that is not what we will remember about the concert given by the OFJ at the Paris Philharmonic. Rather, it is that when we closed our eyes, what we heard was on a par with a professional orchestra. This comes as only half a surprise. Since 1982, OFJ has been an essential part of French symphonic life. It is a training orchestra which, through its two annual sessions, in winter and summer, gives advanced students from our conservatories a unique opportunity to perfect not only their already very high technical level, but also the very special skill of playing in a group under the direction of a conductor. In this case, a female conductor, since the Paris concert marked the end of Kristiina Poska's first year as musical director. In a performance that was consistent from start to finish, we admired the bite of the attacks as much as the clarity of the sound, the homogeneity of the tutti as much as the quality of the soloists. »

« On the evening of Wednesday, December 10, the Henry Le Boeuf Hall at Bozar was transformed into a space where sound and imagination intertwined in a remarkable way. OFJ, which brings together young French musicians every year for innovative and ambitious projects, took to the stage with boundless curiosity and musical passion, under the baton of conductor Kristiina Poska. The Tharaud–Poska–OFJ partnership proved to be an exceptional success: soloist, conductor, and orchestra formed a triangle of natural harmony, as if they all perceived the same mischievous wink in the score. »

« All the musicians are determined and the level is excellent. »