“Musically, the Opera Fuoco Orchestra, masterfully conducted by David Stern, brings vitality and richness to Mozart’s score, while allowing the soloists to express themselves fully in their roles. The vocal interpretation highlights human characters, sometimes tormented, sometimes full of compassion, and the musical direction brings out all the beauty of […]
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“Directed by Music Director David Stern, the Palm Beach Opera Orchestra provided a refined canvas in which the history unfolded. One could appreciate the attention to detail Stern placed in the overture, with a sensitive phrasing that emphasized Verdi’s empathy with the main character. The orchestra was equally effective in […]
“The orchestra under music director David Stern delivered its usual excellent performance. The violins, in particular, played with transparent accuracy and grace in high passages such as the delicate opening Prelude that could expose intonation problems in less skilled musicians. In passages of classic Verdi drama, such as the gambling […]
“Conductor David Stern, a company veteran, was given the new title of Ari Rifkin Music Director, a promotion that recognized his years of successful work with the company’s fine orchestra” David Fleshler – South Florida Classical Review full article here: https://southfloridaclassicalreview.com/2025/01/lewek-shines-in-palm-beach-operas-impassioned-romeo-et-juliette/
“The quibbles are still less for Maestro David Stern and orchestra; these came early – a misfired woodwind, an eager to enter chorus member. Stern expressly turned his attention to the chorus for a few bars, and that was that. (…) . This was an inspired, expansive reading of the score, an […]
“This is a truly rare work that Opera Fuoco is performing for the first time in France… offering Massy opera-goers the privilege of a virtual premiere… Opera Fuoco knows how to carry off this score, which exalts the expression of personal passion, with constant tact and a sense of humor…” […]
“At the helm of his Opera Fuoco orchestra and the remarkable Namur Chamber Choir, David Stern is attentive to every detail, without ever losing sight of the score or the dramatic sense of the libretto. This is certainly the fruit of a long period of preparation, leading to a very […]
“David Stern, embracing the multiple aspects of this score with vigor and dynamism (…), delivers a most seductive Hercules, putting this tragedy back in the high place it deserves in Handel’s oeuvre”. May 2024
“But the success of the production on opening night really rested on the quality of the musical performances. With six vibrant singers and a fine orchestral performance under chief conductor David Stern, the production brought Mozart’s music to vivid life.” February 2023
“Under the direction of Music Director David Stern, the production (…) was a success in all fronts, starting with a superlative Palm Beach Opera Orchestra. On opening night, the ensemble was in top form, its principals delivering technically flawless solos and giving the soloists on the stage a sensitive and […]
“David Stern leads a polished instrumental ensemble … Under his precise direction, the musical numbers are well-balanced and atmospherically well-defined.” January 2023
“The Dutch philharmonie zuidnederland under conductor David Stern brings a perfect rendition of Lady in the Dark, with immaculate directing from up-and-coming UK talent Anna Pool, a well-executed choreography by Rebecca Howell, a solid cast, and gorgeous costumes from Madeleine Boyd.” Sarita RAO Read the full article here
L’opéra est signé Puccini. Il voit le jour en 1896, sur les planches du Teatro Regio de Turin, sous la baguette d’Arturo Toscanini mais il a été présenté samedi 13 et dimanche 14 août sous celle de David Stern dans le jardin de la Grange aux pianos. Le coup de […]
La Boheme with Opera Fuoco Young Artists and the ensemble Ataïr at La Grange aux Pianos “David Stern shows himself to be a maestro as diligent as he is precise, who watches over his musicians and his singers, who are all up to the challenge.”
Au cœur de la campagne berrichonne, le festival de la Grange aux pianos déroule depuis dix ans un programme musical qui fait la part belle à l’art lyrique. Cette édition 2022 ne fait pas exception, avec une Bohème passionnée donnée à la belle étoile. Depuis 2012, de Pelléas à Mélisande à L’Heure espagnole de Ravel en […]
“Après une ouverture aux phrasés dramatiques à propos, contrastés sans exagération et agréablement élancés, grâce à la direction très engagée de David Stern Avec cette œuvre qui se finit bien, par ce chœur joyeux “Scenda Amor, scenda Imeneo” qui clame l’amour, la loyauté et le sacrifice, c’est un message d’espoir […]
“The American conductor [David Stern]… infuses an energy, or even more, a vital élan and a dramatic imagination at every moment.” Mehdi Mahdavi – Opéra Magazine n°180 – March 2022
“(…) And throughout Friday’s performance, the duets, trios and other ensemble numbers were a pleasure to hear, as the fine singers blended together with the well-drilled orchestra under chief conductor David Stern. (…) The orchestra gave vibrant support to the singers without overwhelming them. Focused, buoyant string playing and jewel-like […]
“Direction éruptive de l’inventif David Stern, qui rend la vie au dramma per musica, en avive les couleurs et restitue toute la puissance des ensembles – superbe finale du deuxième acte.” Didier Van Moere
“À la tête de l’Orchestre national de Metz, aux pupitres répartis un peu hors de la fosse, à l’avant du parterre, pour répondre aux impératifs sanitaires du moment, David Stern fait respirer la vitalité des couleurs et des inflexions de la partition, avec un éclairage ductile sur les interventions instrumentales, […]
“Il faut dire que la direction de David Stern, grand découvreur d’œuvres baroques et classiques, fondateur et animateur d’Opera Fuoco, connaît son sujet. La direction qu’il imprime n’appelle que des éloges : la dynamique, l’attention portée au chant comme à chacun des pupitres nous valent un Idomeneo exemplaire de style. L’urgence dramatique s’y mêle […]
The French musical magazine Avant-Scène Opéra has awarded Mayr’s L’amor conjugale recording with the “Révérence” “Porté par la direction sensible et nuancée de David Stern à la tête de son ensemble Opera Fuoco dont brillent singulièrement les pupitres de vents et qui offre à la musique de Mayr toute la […]
“Opera Fuoco under the direction of its founder David Stern plays the score with utmost concentration and rich sound, leaving nothing to be desired. Giovanni Simone Mayr: Absolute listening pleasure!” 20/11/2021 – Jan Krobot – Zürich
« On April 24, at the Massy Opera house, David Stern leaves nothing to chance – he will not stop until he gets what he wants, but does so without stress and without disturbing the good mood. He is indeed passionate about this score and about his extremely capable troupe […]
“The ensemble Ataïr always played with energy and theatrical spirit thanks to the precise and inspiring conducting of David Stern who, at every moment, indicated the perfect tempi.” Thierry Guyenne, Opéra Magazine , October 2021
Last summer Agence France Presse covered Palm Beach Opera Festival. Find the full report and David Stern’s inteview:
“Ozzy Osbourne stood in the place where I’m conducting,” David Stern, the opera’s chief conductor who will lead both “La Boheme” and “The Magic Flute,” told AFP with a laugh. Despite its size the space “actually is very friendly,” the Paris-based conductor said, and the star voices large enough to […]
David Stern‘s musical life spans three continents, and the pandemic hasn’t slowed him down. As founder and director of Opera Fuoco, a Paris-based international opera company and young artist program, he helms Figaro in the City, a modern-day video retelling of Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro. It’s available in easily digestible segments of 15 […]
“A young cast, imaginative filming – how the project came about. Watch the first episode for free” When I had the initial idea to salvage a concert version of the Marriage of Figaro, Paris was just coming out of its first confinement period. Springtime was bursting out, we no longer […]
“Stern drew out Puccini’s singing phrases adroitly, providing strong, coherent support for the singers. Without a curtain coming down to produce premature applause, it was great, for once, to hear the final soft harp lines following the Mimi-Rodolfo duet in Act I and the final quiet brass chords at the […]