James Judd

• Conductor

Reviews

Judd did not disappoint. The orchestra’s string section turned out a performance of the very highest calibre. After the interval, Judd had an opportunity to really go at it in repertoire that is close to his heart: Gustav Holst’s The Planets. Judd showed the audience that he knew exactly what he wanted to achieve with Holst’s spectacularly orchestrated score full of intriguing tonal blends. 
Het Parool, Amsterdam 8 December 2011, Schönberg 'Verklärte Nacht', Holst ' The Planets', Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

The orchestra performs extremely well under the leadership of James Judd, who beats time but never forgets to draw the emotions that the orchestra must paint.  
Corriere dello Spettacolo, Rome  9 February 2012 Brahms, Grieg, Tchaikovsky Accademia di Santa Cecilia

With sensual sound and  total dedication the Vienna Symphony Orchestra under the sovereign direction of James Judd  made a wonderful case for this magnificent work, its painful beauty and beautiful pain.
Die Presse, Vienna 8 June 2012 Elgar 'The Dream of Gerontius'

Conducted by James Judd, the ­performance is very grand, intense, at times genuinely ­ecstatic
The Guardian

The freshness of inspiration is a delight, superbly brought out in these fine performances from New Zealand, with James Judd always an idiomatic Elgarian.
The Guardian

James Judd is proven Elgarian - his 1990 recording of the first symphony with the Halle Orchestra is up there with the best this is graceful and affectionate music making, with a tangible sense of the nostalgic
New Zealand Herald

It's not always easy to make Mahler sound like chamber music, but a real conductor knows that's what it is.
The Evening Post

Last week, British-born James Judd, music director of the New Zealand Symphony, replaced Temirkanov for the fifth time in two years. he's never had to change a program, never had a problem collaborating with guest soloists Temirkanov had engaged. Above all, Judd has made first-rate music on each occasion.

Each time Judd stepped in, something memorable has resulted.
Baltimore Sun

It's hard to imagine it much better played than by James Judd's increasingly impressive New Zealand Symphony Orchestra
BBC Music Magazine

It was then that Missa (Solemnis) moved from the concert hall into the cathedral and became, I am certain for many in attendance, a near-religious experience
Miami Herald

Once again, I'm impressed by the ardour and sheen displayed by the NZSO, to say nothing of James Judd's elegant and purposeful direction.
Gramophone Magazine, Editor's choice

When you hear a special kind of roar from an audience- deep, a little hoarse, and totally unpremeditated- you know that something special has happened. Something special and highly combustible. Nothing else evokes that special tribute, which is a combination of supreme satisfaction, unstinted admiration and pure, unadulterated excitement. It burst out Thursday night the instant the Verdi Requiem ended, to trigger a highly special ovation...Altogether, it was impossible to hear this Requiem without the deep and abiding conviction that you were hearing the voice of Verdi. This is what I listen for in music.
Miami Herald