TadaakiOtaka

Press

• BBC Proms: BBC National Orchestra of Wales

  Royal Albert Hall

  Jul 2023

  • Otaka’s control of phrasing and dynamics reached its peak in the second movement, deliciously clipped and poised. As for rhythmic punch, the first movement’s onslaught, powerful enough, was easily outdone by the finale’s blaze of light and positivity. Glorious.

    • The Times
    • 20 July 2023

• BBC National Orchestra of Wales

  St David's Hall, Cardiff

  Mar 2023

  • As special relationships go, that of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales with the Japanese conductor Tadaaki Otaka is particularly special, forged during the years when he was principal conductor from 1987 to 1995. He subsequently became their conductor laureate and, whenever he returns, his ability to inspire these players to give their utmost is evident both from the lustrous sound and their total commitment.

    • The Guardian
    • 27 March 2023

• BBC Proms 2019

  Royal Albert Hall

  Aug 2019

  • Takemitsu’s Twill by Twilight: Otaka’s elliptical gestures drew the ensemble together closely and sweetly, establishing a twinkling soundworld that linked Takemitsu to the sequinned hush of Huw Watkins’s The Moon, a setting of words by Shelley, Larkin and Whitman delivered with pristine diction by the BBC National Chorus of Wales...

    • The Times
    • 12 August 2019

• Elgar’s Froissart & John Lill plays Tchaikovsky

  Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

  Jun 2017

  • Otaka’s grasp of Elgar is total – which is saying something, for those who remember his fine accounts of the A-flat Symphony in particular – and his direction of Froissart (not one of Elgar’s flawless masterpieces) so captured the essence of this work that its qualities were clearly and cleverly brought out. Indeed, this was a performance of no little stature in which architecture and atmosphere were perfectly equated. In Otaka’s reading one remained astonished at the composer’s masterful command of the orchestra and of his control of a relatively lengthy time span – for, be it remembered, this was the entirely self-taught Elgar’s first orchestral work.

    • Classical Source
    • 06 June 2017

• Ravel: Daphnis et Chloé

  BBC National Orchestra of Wales

  Nov 2016

  • Majesty and beauty in Daphnis et Chloé from Tadaaki Otaka and BBC NOW Tadaaki Otaka has a long working relationship with the BBC National Orchestra and Chorus of Wales, where he is now Conductor Laureate, and his return visits to Cardiff are always warmly welcomed. He began this programme with a lush, big-band account of Mozart’s Idomeneo overture, with a larger component of strings than is fashionable these days, and full, resonant vibrato all round.

    • Bachtrack
    • 11 November 2016

• Walton at the BBC Proms

  BBC National Orchestra of Wales

  Aug 2015

  • The symphony is often cited as an example of how Walton’s music lost its freshness in the 1950s. However, it came over vividly in Otaka’s superbly played performance, which was less svelte and more irascible than some, with a real snap to the rhythms in the opening movement and plenty of weight behind the variations of the final passacaglia.

    • The Guardian
    • 06 August 2015