Celebrated for his expertise in German opera, Patrik Ringborg made his Bregenzer Festspiele debut with Der Freischütz on Thursday, conducting the Prague Philharmonic Choir and the Wiener Symphoniker. On Wednesday, Ringborg also conducted extracts of the opera during the televised opening ceremony which was opened by Bundespräsident, Alexander Van der Bellen.
Ringborg has received glowing reviews:
Merkur, Markus Thiel
"Patrik Ringborg is new on the podium. Musically, this ‘Freischütz’ has taken a leap forward compared to last year's premiere. Conductor Patrik Ringborg and the Vienna Symphony Orchestra cultivate an elastic sound from which details emerge naturally. Everything sounds as if it has just been heard. It is even astonishing how Ringborg tweaks dynamics and tempi in view of the acoustic situation."
Badische Zeitung, Alexander Dick
"Musically, this ”Freischütz” scores compared to last year in yet another respect: Patrik Ringborg’s debut in Bregenz and at the helm of the once again brilliant Wiener Symphoniker is remarkable. The former Freiburg Principal Conductor and later interim Music Director is an expert in the grand Romantic musical arcs and shines with his incredibly exciting conducting."
Der Standard, Stefan Ender
"Is there a danger that the music is being pushed into the background by the Las Vegas-like show effects? Yes. But that doesn't happen in the current Bregenz "Freischütz," thanks primarily to the Vienna Symphony Orchestra and Patrik Ringborg. The top Viennese orchestra plays with impressive precision, soulfulness, and dedication...And the Swedish conductor delves even deeper in his interpretation than Enrique Mazzola did last year, unearthing moods in the early Romantic work that are magically captivating in their diversity and intensity."
Vorarlberger Nachrichten, Andreas Marte
"Under the sensitive direction of Patrik Ringborg, the Vienna Symphony Orchestra elicits a colourful expressiveness from Weber's score, which oscillates between dramatic power and chamber music precision. The integration of noise and sound levels into the orchestral structure is particularly noteworthy. The sounds of nature, such as the boar's roar, the rumbling of the wolf's gorge or the whispering of the forest, are not created as external effects, but grow organically out of the music itself - an acoustic fabric of beguiling plasticity."
Der Opernfreund, Dieter David Scholz
"Patrik Ringborg is a careful, conscientious, and energetic champion of Weber and his intense, sensual and intelligent music. On the occasion of their 125th anniversary (they have performed annually in Bregenz since 1960), the Vienna Symphony Orchestra plays flawlessly, with a beautiful sound, a brisk and dramatic tempo, and powerful drive."
French Forum Opera, Jean-Marcel Humbert
"it should also be noted that conductor Patrick Ringborg has really succeeded in infusing the whole with an irresistible flow, thanks to an energetic beat, sustained tempi and clear nuances."
Aichacher Nachrichten, Klaus-Peter Mayr
"the Bregenz Orchestra has engaged excellent singers, masterfully supported by the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, conducted for the first time by the Swede Patrik Ringborg."
Alb Bote Münsingen, Jürgen Kan
"the Vienna Symphony Orchestra under Patrik Ringborg, mixed up to create a huge sound, plays excellently"
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