Beethoven’s Seventh is a work of true tempestuousness, but then in ideally sublimated form. The conductor Jan Willem de Vriend rendered this monumental dance of liberty in circumspect yet angular fashion. Thanks to the sophisticated articulation and dynamics, the structure was of glass-like transparency. The alert interchange of individual orchestral lines merged into a single voice that resonated to the very marrow, particularly in the funeral march (Allegretto). The soft shimmer of the build-up of the fugato was the epitome of subtle discernment. In the compressed and concentrated emotion of this Seventh Symphony we hear the voice not of ‘Beethoven the Titan’ but of Beethoven the brilliant, impassioned and disciplined craftsman.
Het Concertgebouworkest
Jan Willem de Vriend, an Amsterdammer based in Enschede (he is principal conductor of the Netherlands Symphony Orchestra), made his debut with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra on Thursday evening. The result was remarkable. Under his baton the orchestra sounded not simply like the best orchestra in the world, as it does on a normal working day, or like the best opera orchestra in the world, as it did under Riccardo Chailly and Mariss Jansons in the pit of the Amsterdam Music Theatre, but like the best early music orchestra in the world.
Het Parool
In the hands of 48 RCO members playing as friends of Vriend [Schubert’s Fifth Symphony], subtly phrased and illuminated throughout, became Schubert’s Unforgettable Symphony.
De Volkskrant
L’Orchestre de Chambre de Neuchâtel
The ovation for the last piece on the programme—Mozart’s renowned Symphony no. 39 in E flat major—was entirely justified. In the introduction De Vriend goes with Mozart all the way, who writes incredible dissonants there, decreasing the tempo to an unusual, but perfectly fitting, degree.
Christmas Oratorio
The homogeneity of the sound is of an extraordinary quality.
Het Parool One of the best recordings ever to have been made of this work.
De Telegraaf
The choir and the orchestra are wonderfully in balance; the splendour and vigour of the music is sustained throughout, as is the rhythmical precision.
Hifi.nl
This exquisite recording of these six cantatas is cause for delight.
Haarlems Dagblad
Agrippina
Jan Willem de Vriend (…) knows how to achieve maximum theatrical credibility. Away with his baton and out with his violin, he pulled the orchestra out of the pit and up onto the stage, forcing the singers and instrumentalist to interact. The result was an explosion of vitality, heightened by Eva Buchmann’s stage directions: a plethora of baroque gestures for when the characters lied (often) and a few modern, realistic gestures to convey genuine feelings (sporadically). Judging by the sound of it, the musicians had a whale of a time!
Klassieke Zaken
L'Orfeo
Musically this Orfeo includes the best early music performers in the Netherlands. Jan Willem de Vriend once again leads the Combattimento Consort in a varied, precise and breathing interpretation of Monteverdi's opera, leaving ample room for the soloists.
Mischa Spel, NRC Handelsblad, 10 January 2001
The performance of Monteverdi's opera L'Orfeo, directed by Erik Vos and repeated by De Nationale Reisopera, can be regarded as one of the finest operatic productions in the Netherlands in recent years.
Right from the first bars Jan Willem de Vriend leads the Combattimento Consort Amsterdam with electrifying drive. […] after the introduction the orchestra functioned as an engine, engaging in acceleration, attack or dramatic protraction.
De Vriend proved a true opera conductor by firmly unifying choir, soloists and orchestra in seamless togetherness and with admirable subtlety.
Ivo Postma, Noordhollands Dagblad, 10 January 2001
From the pit the Combattimento Consort and conductor Jan Willem de Vriend demonstrated that passion and drive are more important than the use of period instruments.
Thiemo Wind, De Telegraaf, 11 January 2001
Vocal Festival
Bonney and Scholl’s programme was focused on Pergolesi’s indestructible Stabat Mater, […] The timbres of Scholl and Bonney merged into an almost perfect symbiosis.
The Combattimento Consort under Jan Willem de Vriend provided accompaniment at the highest level. Each vocal tear mingled perfectly with the sound of the orchestra, eliciting sympathetic murmurings from it. The Consort proved their unique qualities as a Baroque orchestra in the overture to Handel’s Alcina and his Concerto grosso op.6, no.7. The latter work in particular was given an almost swinging reading, due to wonderful effects and stabbing accents.
Trouw, 28 February 2000
Accompanied with great commitment by the Combattimento Consort led by Jan Willem de Vriend, Bonney and Scholl sang solos and a duet from Handel’s operas Rinaldo and Rodelinda, followed after the interval by a performance of Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater.
The Combattimento Consort – radiance and drive in Handel, lustre and drama in Pergolesi – left no wish unfulfilled.
NRC Handelsblad 23 February 2000
Virtuoso Masterworks
Amsterdam consort plays superbly and with ease
Yesterday night’s audience intensely enjoyed the inspired and enthusiastic way in which the musicians gave crystal-clear, seamlessly interwoven and ‘authentic’ performances on modern instruments.
The audience also enjoyed the entertainment they were offered, which was probably no less ‘authentic’. To a large extent this was due to the almost jocular performance of violinist Gordan Nikolich. In short: a superb and unconstrained concert …
Friesch Dagblad
Acis and Galatea
From the start De Vriend moulded the intertwined and overlapping lines into a true discourse in which each voice retreated at the right moment to make way for other voices. He maintained a high energy level without losing subtlety, and not for one moment did he lose his grip on the dramatic alternation of turbulent and sensitive passages.
De Volkskrant
Barcelona Gran Teatre del Liceu
The orchestra, carefully balanced and well conducted by the efficient Jan Willem de Vriend, played Händel's concerti grossi in-between the vocal numbers.
