Culturplaza: “Yesterday, the extraordinary dramatic force of The Queen of Spades shined in a special way with the orchestra in the hands of James Gaffigan, who brought out the best out of the musicians for the descriptive and expansive Russian score of symphonic construction and a profoundly emotional weight. He wisely arranged the different written parts, from the subtle lyrical moments to those of greater dramatic weight. With a precise hand, he drew out the right sound to describe so many volatile situations and feelings.”
“And the Reina Sofía, which once again hits the mark for programming exceptional titles to showcase different musical styles in the theater, played and won with this Queen of Spades, one of the crowning works of the already mature and tortured Russian composer, composed in only four months.”
El País: “The surrealist production of Richard Jones’s The Queen of Spades triumphs in the new opera season’s inauguration in Valencia with distinguished ensembles, what a great delivery and brilliant direction by James Gaffigan.”
“James Gaffigan’s musical direction of the Valencian Opera connected with the grotesque and visionary tone of the stage. From the first act, the supernatural storm stood out; in the second, Gaffigan elevated the supposedly Mozartian solecisms and controlled the contrasts well; but the three scenes of the third act were the best of the evening.”
“The Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana returned to prove that it is the best Spanish operatic ensemble, alternating between intensity and refinement.”
Valencia News: “The Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana, magnificent as always. The Director, a great one at that, is an expert of the orchestral pit.”
El Correo: “But there can be no objection to the show put on by Les Arts from a set that has travelled all over the world since 2000, it’s in the blend of voices and the exceptional work of the Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana and its Music Director James Gaffigan.”
“The American Director knew how to capture the tragic character of a score that, like many others by the composer, is dominated by the inevitable fate that we can never escape, one which we often unconsciously bring upon ourselves…”
“But if there was one thing that stood out over everything, it was Gaffigan’s direction and the unmitigated splendor of the Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana. All of the drama and energy of Tchaikovsky’s score were served on a silver platter, understood as a tragic and hopeless vehicle, opposite from the mix of feeling and beauty with which other directors interpret the piece.”
La Vanguardia: “For his arrival/presentation/appearance in Valencia, the Music Director James Gaffigan assumes the baton in this ‘fascinating’ work, in his own words. The New York maestro promised that The Queen of Spades was going to allow for ‘the celebration of the sound and color palette of the Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana’, referencing the romantic repertoire upon which the Orquestra has cemented its international prestige.”
