FinneganDownie Dear

Press

• Macbeth

  State Opera of South Australia

  Sep 2023

  • Finnegan Downie Dear conducted the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra with clarity. Of course, as an audience member one is always aware of the sound that emerges from the orchestra pit, but it shouldn’t always be the primary focus. It needs to complement the action, rather than being a driving or motivating force itself. That is how he conducted. He understands the intent of the poetry of the libretto, and how Verdi’s score draws out the meaning. When it was appropriate that the music take centre stage, Finnegan Downie Dear unleashed the forces of the ASO with vigour without losing musicality.

    • Kym Clayton, The Barefoot Review
    • 07 September 2023

  • From the moment the conductor, Finnegan Downie Dear, lifts his baton the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra adds another actor to the piece. The level and integrity of the score drive the opera in different directions with such ease; the conversations it creates with the singers are magical.

    • Adrian Barnes, Glam Adelaide
    • 07 September 2023

  • Verdi’s brilliant score is played with panache by the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra under guest conductor Finnegan Downie Dear, who also conducted the ASO’s last Symphony Series concert, and regular concertmaster Kate Suthers. The woodwind theme is especially beautiful. Downie Dear’s pacing is precise and they play with remarkable clarity...

    • Diana Carroll, ArtsHub
    • 11 September 2023

  • The opening is enchanting: wood instruments and shrieking flutes talking to each other, as if they were voices running through the woods, setting the scene for the on-stage dark mischief, all conducted by Finnigan Downie Dear who did a thoroughly excellent job throughout the performance. Verdi’s score comes up vividly in the performance, heightening the drama as is fitting to the tragic opera.

    • Suzanne Strahle, InReview
    • 07 September 2023

• Seeger, Beethoven & Mahler 4

  Adelaide Symphony Orchestra

  Aug 2023

  • The Adelaide Symphony Orchestra (ASO) did not disappoint under the enthusiastic baton of British conductor Finnegan Downie Dear, making his debut appearance here... Osborne and Downie Dear displayed superb synergy as they reached the climax at the end of the first 'allegro moderato' movement. The second and third movements segued together seamlessly...

    • Dr Diana Carroll, ArtsHub
    • 28 August 2023

  • Steven Osborne and the ASO under conductor Downie Dear combined wonderfully in this captivating performance of the Beethoven.

    • Chris Reid, Limelight
    • 27 August 2023

• Wagner, Berg, Harvey & Debussy

  Bamberg Symphony Orchestra

  Feb 2022

  • ***** [Downie Dear] is increasingly recognised for his mastery of complex scores and his intense and mature performances. In magnificent solos and fairytale-like tutti dizziness, he led the musicians through Debussy's world of ideas about the sea, letting the orchestra paint dense sound pictures full of shimmering colours and depth.

    • Michael Vieth, Bachtrack
    • 13 February 2022

• BBC National Orchestra of Wales

  Hoddinott Hall, Cardiff

  Dec 2021

  • Downie Dear ensured that the players, both in their accompaniment and in the expansive orchestral sections, matched Ridout in sensitivity. The sheer beauty of it all was mesmerising and, by the end, profoundly moving... Downie Dear balanced the score’s moments of languid delicacy with more vibrant characterisations that, being Ravel, never become remotely pantomimic.

    • Rian Evans, The Guardian
    • 12 December 2021

• Mozart Don Giovanni

  Nevill Holt Opera

  Aug 2021

  • Musically it is also a challenge but no problem for conductor Finnegan Downie Dear and the first Nevill Holt outing for the Shadwell Ensemble as he balances the musicians on stage with the singers behind him and all over and on and off that mound.

    • Mike Smith, Opera Scene
    • 21 August 2021

  • Charting the entire score admirably as well as seeking out its detail, conductor Finnegan Downie Dear confirmed his rising reputation.

    • George Hall, Opera Now
    • 01 October 2021

• Ravel & Knussen

  Shadwell Opera Company

  Oct 2019

  • The Shadwell Ensemble played with terrific fervour under Finnegan Downie Dear… a lovely performance by the orchestra of Ravel’s fairytale ballet score, Mother Goose, the silky sonorities beautifully balanced by Downie Dear.

    • Neil Fisher, The Times
    • 28 October 2019

• Beethoven Pastoral Symphony

  Kosice State Philharmonic

  May 2019

  • During this performance we had the opportunity to fully admire the abilities of conductor Finnegan Downie Dear. Thanks to his precise, inspiring and masterful conducting, we could immerse ourselves in the perfection of Beethoven's musical thinking.

    • Lýdia Urbančíková, Opera Slovakia
    • 06 May 2019

• Sibelius Valse Triste

  Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra

  Apr 2019

  • Finnegan Downie Dear refreshingly brings life to this often routinely performed work. He sensitively draws out the fragility of the piece, accentuating the quiet sad tones and softening over the top cheeriness.

    • Nicholas Ringskog Ferrada-Noli, Dagens Nyheter
    • 26 April 2019

• Scottish Opera

  Theatre Royal, Glasgow

  Feb 2018

  • In the pit, the soloists of the Orchestra of Scottish Opera were on first class form as a deranged cabaret band, under the baton of Finnegan Downie Dear.

    • Keith Bruce, The Herald
    • 04 February 2018

  • The small twenty strong band of an eclectic mix of instruments under conductor Finnegan Downie Dear tackled the tumultuous and quirky score with infectious verve and enthusiasm.

    • David Smythe, Bachtrack
    • 05 February 2018