PRESS
“The Hungarian conductor and First Kapellmeister of the Mecklenburg State Orchestra, Levente Török,
brought to life in breathtaking musical fashion the precarious lives of the opera’s various characters,
with all their contrasts and needs.
Freed from overblown phrasing and any mannerisms that may have crept in over time,
he allowed Puccini’s music to breathe, letting the tempo be shaped by the flow of the Italian language
and allowing the dynamics of the wonderful orchestra, which followed him so closely,
to unfold in all their nuances.
At times, one had the feeling that one had never - truly never - heard the music like this before.”
La bohème premiere in Schwerin, klassik-begeistert.de, Patrick Klein
“Levente Török on the podium is a stroke of good fortune: he ‘breathes’ Donizetti and, above all, knows how to convey it to others, with economical yet highly effective gestures that clearly made the soloists feel secure.
As an ‘encore’, he also accompanied the secco recitatives himself -
a young man in the style of the great old maestri concertatori!”
L´Elisir d´amore in Gars am Kamp, onlinemerker.com, Michael Tanzler
“Conductor Levente Török gave an electrifying reading of Puccini’s score, a reminder that
Puccini is too good to be left to the humdrum Italian music directors who usually take the baton in Tosca.”
Tosca at the Hungarian State Opera, asiatimes.com (New York), David P. Goldman
“While remaining attentive to the need of the singers, he achieves a highly dynamic interpretation
full of passion and temperament, finely nuanced in the lyrical passages and
expressively exuberant in the lighter ones. In doing so,he does justice to a work that,
perhaps more than any other, is rich in the most diverse emotional moods -
- in a way one rarely gets to experience.”
La bohème premiere in Schwerin, ioco.de, Thomas Kunzmann
“The Mecklenburg State Orchestra under Levente Török was something quite different:
with his conducting, he traces a highly sensitive, at times even tender Puccini -
- without ever losing sight of the emotional intensity of the music or its great climaxes.
Full of passion, he steers the emphatic, lyrically dramatic surges of the love scenes,
while demonstrating an equally keen sense for the composer’s
metrically and rhythmically free-flowing melodic lines and his sophisticated instrumental colours.”
La bohème premiere in Schwerin, Orpheus Magazin, Christoff Forsthoff
“Levente Török, First Kapellmeister of the Mecklenburg State Theatre, had to step in at the podium -
and was given the opportunity to do so - and he did so in astonishing fashion.
The entire orchestra and ensemble followed him with tremendous energy and sheer joy in making music.
What emerged from the pit had drive, dynamics and rich sonority, but also the finest details and a clear musical direction. It was a feast for the ears, full of changes of tempo, expressive phrasing and energetic finesse.
The brass thundered, the violin strings shimmered, the horns and timpani rang out.
Everything worked flawlessly, harmoniously, and one could almost feel that everyone was pulling together, playing, singing and giving their very best.”
Tannhäuser in Schwerin, klassik-begeistert.de, Patrick Klein
“Musically, this evening was a truly exceptional experience. Levente Török led the Schwerin State Orchestra
with great commitment and concentration, serving as an attentive accompanist to the soloists.
It was simply wonderful to experience how beautifully
he brought both the immensely dramatic and gripping music and its soulful, sensitive melodic writing to life,
and how the soloists, chorus and orchestra merged into a single unity.
With finely differentiated musical shaping and precise tempi,
Török created richly coloured and expressive arcs spanning all three acts.”
Tannhäuser in Schwerin, ioco.de, Wolfgang Schmitt
“Levente Török, First Kapellmeister, achieved a compelling and gripping performance with the Philharmonic.
The young conductor, who appears refreshingly carefree, knows how to listen to the orchestra, inspire and develop its sound, and tighten the reins at any moment for the music drama -
- always in the service of the singers.”
Hänsel und Gretel premiere in Ulm, SWP, Jürgen Kanold
“Levente Török has once again demonstrated the extraordinary musical achievements of which
the Mecklenburg State Orchestra is capable.
The State Orchestra and Levente Török already seemed symbiotically intertwined here, in the overture.
Together, they developed immense rhythmic precision and unfolded a surging music-dramatic narrative.
This created an atmosphere that captivated the audience from the very first bar and drew them deeply into the musical storytelling.
Wagner’s carefully composed dynamics and contrasts — from the motif of faith to the hymn-like celebration of love — as well as all the other interwoven elements, were shaped throughout the evening with
immense musical density and intensity.
Every section of the orchestra played with such joy and commitment that one might have thought one had
rarely heard strings so vibrant and brass so triumphant.
The shaping of the Song Contest and the final of Act II were marked by a sensuality and drama rarely heard. Elisabeth’s and Wolfram’s yearning prayers were performed with an inward intensity rarely attained.
Then came the fulminant final of Act III. Wagner’s intended suggestive,
almost hypnotic effect was achieved
with remarkable success.
Through the theatre screens, one could follow Levente Török as he appeared relaxed yet at the same time focused and attentive, guiding the musical flow with his baton while conjuring
an astonishingly varied orchestral palette with his left hand.
The sheer force of the pilgrims’ choruses, the erotic shimmer of the Venusberg, Tannhäuser’s
profound inner turmoil, the burden of the exhausted penitents returning home, and their redemption were transformed from the notes of Wagner’s score into a deeply moving sonic landscape.
In the auditorium, a unique dramatic force and fascination unfolded -
- one that lingered long after the performance had ended.”
Tannhäuser revival in Schwerin, ioco.de, Michael Stange