PRESS

“Like a magician, Mengoli constructed the stage scenes of Igor Stravinsky's 1945 ballet suite The Firebird, shaping them with gestures, hand movements, and even a dance-like body language. (...) The beginning from nothingness, the subdued, muffled passages, the fading of the Berceuse: the spectacular orchestration was beautifully brought to life, making Stravinsky's bird sparkle, flicker, and soar with power. Between lullaby and infernal dance, there was pure, finely nuanced chamber music to be experienced, as the magnificent orchestra intensified into precise, dazzling orgiastic energy, without losing sharpness, even in moments of sumptuous sound. The finale, with its storming percussiveness and apotheotic vehemence, was hardly surpassable. Yet, there was no overt display of ego from Giuseppe Mengoli, who managed to shape even the barbarically forceful final scene with hypnotic pulsation.”

“The Bruckner Orchestra followed the clear and very lively conducting of Giuseppe Mengoli, transforming the initially calm, almost lamenting music into dynamically comforting elements (…)

Then, as a crowning conclusion, with a large orchestral ensemble and convincingly led by the conductor, Mozart's Jupiter Symphony was performed, bringing the Bruckner Orchestra to a high point.
A masterful performance.”

“Such a last-minute replacement is understandably cause for concern, and it is rare for the substitute to do more than simply hold things together. And yet, Mengoli, at the helm of the orchestra, delivers a truly remarkable concert. While it does not erase the shadow of the absent maestro, it brings forth a genuinely personal voice that captivates the audience. (...) But even more than these stimulating and truly original interpretative directions, it is the mastery with which, despite likely shortened rehearsals, the young conductor manages to embody them in the sound of the orchestra, without the slightest hesitation, and with a sound palette that seems to be the result of extensive work rather than an emergency situation.”

“The Gustav Mahler Intl. Conducting Competition in Bamberg recently announced its 2023 winner: Giuseppe Mengoli will receive First Prize.

Prizes were awarded at the competition final which took place in Bamberg yesterday and marked the culmination of a week of competition rounds.”

“There are numerous examples in the concert world where conductors who jump in for famous musicians, achieve themselves fame. Mengoli could become one of them, as he approached Haydn's late "Oxford Symphony" No. 92 with a touch of initial impetuosity, yet with great sensitivity, capturing its weightlessness and transparency. His interpretation was so nuanced in the pianissimo that, during the enchanting Adagio—one of Haydn's most beautiful slow movements—you could even hear the heavy rain pounding on the roof of the festival hall. This performance had all the hallmarks of classical excellence.”

“(…) We have all adapted to creating art in a short amount of time and are capable of doing so. However, cultivating deep artistic collaborations in a fast-paced and easily distracting world would allow us to create a countercurrent wave, standing against the increasingly prevalent musical consumerism.”