HANDEL "Orlando", Opera Australia
Orchestra Victoria, under Benjamin Bayl… creates a stream of lyrical music-making.
John Slavin, The Age, Melbourne
The superb look, the taut orchestra conducted by Benjamin Bayl and the beauty of Handelʼs score make this an intriguing production.
MCV Melbourne
Musically it is utterly gorgeous… that orchestra just knocked me out.
www.onstagemelbourne.com.au
Orchestra Victoria were in excellent form, led by conductor Benjamin Bayl… it’s remarkable how big a punch this production packs.
Patricia Maunder, artshub.com.au
HANDEL "Ariodante", English Touring Opera
Ariodante, conducted by Benjamin Bayl, held us in thrall… Try not to miss this touring delight.
Geoff Brown, The Times
This is a thrilling evening in which vocal glories are matched by outstanding playing from ETOʼs baroque orchestra. Or, more accurately, thatʼs the excellent Benjamin Bayl, whose conducting is marked by flawless tempo choices and a precise ear for stage-pit balance… The three short hours of ETOʼs Ariodante are sheer bliss.
www.whatsonstage.com
The baroque orchestra, beautifully controlled by conductor Benjamin Bayl, played with verve and precision… There was tremendous rapport between pit and stage.
www.musicalcriticism.com
Arne “THE JudgEment of Paris”, Bampton Classical OperA, Wigmore Hall
A golden apple and a few flirtatious glances aside, this was a concert performance but a pleasingly sung one, directed from the harpsichord by Benjamin Bayl, who revelled in Arne’s dapper tunes, busy violin descants and sizzling coloratura.
Richard Morrison, The Times
Conductor Benjamin Bayl deftly captured the character of the piece, inspiring vigorous playing from the period instrumental orchestra and drawing out the distinctive woodwind colourings in particular numbers.
Opera Today
The musical support was uniformly excellent; Benjamin Bayl proved to be an exponent of Baroque music par excellence, conducting with great flair and assurance.
MusicWeb International
Gluck "Il Parnaso Confuso", South Bank Centre, London
From the fortepiano, Benjamin Bayl led the small orchestra with captivating instrumental invention and unaffected poise.
Andrew Porter, Opera Magazine
Monteverdi "L’incoronazione di Poppea", Københavns Musikteater
An intimate setting of this early opera classic seduces with live theatre and effortless management, with assured direction from Benjamin Bayl and his band of seven musicians who play lightly and precisely. A top hit.
Thomas Michelsen, Politiken
Bach "Christmas Oratorio", Symfoniorkester Norrlandsoperan
An interpretation of both profundity and humility.
Västerbottens-Kuriren, Umeå
A performance of the Christmas Oratorio with both subtlety and heart.
Folkbladet, Umeå
Handel "Messiah", Orquesta Sinfónica del Principado de Asturias
Bayl’s version sought a balance between the formal score and the more profound and tenderly personal nature of his message. For this, he revised issues like the tempi, the articulation and dynamics, in a version full of contrasts, with some moments of intimacy and others of vibrancy.
La nueva España
Haydn & Beethoven programme, Orquesta Sinfónica del Principado de Asturias
In an extremely beautiful and heartfelt performance, Bayl did not put a foot wrong… Haydn’s Symphony no.104 reached a new height of interpretation… It was a colourful and polished performance.
La nueva España
Bayl sought surround sound stereo and dialogue, achieving clarity of phrasing, richness of colour and stylistic fidelity, sometimes imbued with a slight baroque. This fully caught on in the ‘London Symphony’, steeped in pre-romantic atmosphere, and especially in the last movement of folk-sounding colour.
El Comercio, Asturias
SCHUMANN & RAVEL PROGRAMME, Aalborg Symphony Orchestra
Schumann’s Spring Symphony caught fire and came to life… the melodic phrases were carried forward with effortless and unerring musicality.
Nordjyske Avis
Recording with Britten Sinfonia: Hindemith “Kammermusik no.7″ (Signum Classics)
The triumph of this disc is an extremely exciting account of Hindemith’s first organ concerto, the 1927 Kammermusik No. 7, with its brass-heavy chamber orchestra, by turns brazen, beefy and baleful. Throughout, incisive rhythmic articulation and clear delineation of line allows the music’s essential vitality to come through with the greatest possible impact. Highly recommended — 5 stars.
BBC Music Magazine * * * * *
The artfully chosen programme is played with suavity and tenderness.
The Independent
A bracing combination of organ and chamber ensemble … Hindemith at his bubbliest.
The Sunday Times
This disc positively sparkles! With such intelligent and innovative programming, it is the ideal introduction to Hindemith’s organ music.
Gramophone