Press
“Marc Destrubé's stylish solo playing of Haydn's three surviving violin concertos is individual yet unselfconscious and has a fresh simplicity of approach which is consistently appealing.”
- Robin Stowell, The Strad Magazine, London
“His bold and daring solo playing recommends this disc.”
- Larry Beckwith, Whole Note Magazine, Toronto
“Above all one can’t sufficiently praise the restraint and taste of Marc Destrubé’s playing in his double role as leader and soloist.”
- Michael Miller, New York Arts, NYC
http://newyorkarts.net/2014/01/early-music-autumn-winter-new-york-city/#.UuyCY3m4n8s
“Destrubé is a brilliantly soulful player and his able, passionate orchestra...follows his lead, answers his calls, and provides atmospheres for his period violin-playing that are consistently ideal...His approach to the solo parts of these concertos is...personable and uplifting...With good recordings of Haydn in short supply, here's one that deserves close attention.”
- The Georgia Straight, Vancouver
“...a radiant success with some very polished and energetic playing by the group and soloist alike. The orchestral playing is bright and crisp and complements Marc Destrubé's warm and lyric tone well.”
- The Magic Flute: Flutenotes
"The refinement of Destrubé's playing in the D Major Violin Concerto of Leclair confirmed his excellent credentials as a performer of taste, elegance and authority".
- David Vance, Sydney Morning Herald (Australia)
“Marc Destrubé bared his soul without reserve, yet displaying gentlemanliness and humility”.
- Neville Oliffe, Early Music News, Australia
An “outstanding soloist… of remarkable virtuosity.”
- Georgia Straight, Vancouver
“Destrube finds the right balance of elegant lyricism and virtuosic brilliance.”
- The Australian (full review below)
“Violin– Marc has made good progress. He has considerable technical facility but he must not allow this to run away with him. I am hoping for further improvement of his sense of tempo, rhythm, tone production, and musical understanding. He stands up well in performance”.
- teacher’s report, June, 1968 (age 12)
“ON his fourth visit to perform with the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, Canadian violinist Marc Destrube did no harm to his reputation with local audiences by calling it one of the best period instrument orchestras in the world.
As a leading figure in the period instrument movement, the co-concertmaster of the Orchestra of the 18th Century is in a better position than most to pass judgment. The orchestra has not always sounded like it, but here his assessment is spot on. This is the finest, most uniformly satisfying ABO concert I've heard.
To achieve this in early romantic repertoire, which marks a significant shift in the ABO's direction, is particularly impressive. Much of the credit is due to the invigorating leadership of Destrube. The orchestra's focused, disciplined approach results in lean yet weighty sonorities and well-detailed textures. Balance, too, is excellent, as the soft-grained woodwinds and pungent brass are allowed to make their points with clarity.
Beethoven's Symphony No.1, which closes the concert, is the orchestra's first foray into his music. The ABO's confident performance is urgent and virile, thanks to fleet-footed tempos, crisp articulation and pointed rhythms. As with their accounts of Mozart's symphonies, the ensemble employs strong contrasts in phrasing and dynamics, balancing powerfully emphatic string chords alongside sinuously flowing woodwind figures.
The other notable feature of this program is the way Destrube and the ABO astutely change the quality of their sound to match the character of each work. The gutsy earthiness of their Beethoven, for instance, is strikingly dissimilar to the appealing, bright-toned sonorities they create in a lithe, graceful account of Basque composer Juan Crisostomo Arriaga's Overture from Los Esclavos Felices.
Mendelssohn's Sinfonia No.7 for strings is different again. Middle European clouds cast a pall over the Iberian sunshine to establish a darker, more brooding atmosphere. Here, the orchestra combines vigorous attack, rhythmic zest and lightness of touch to highlight the work's contrapuntal interplay while generating swirling gusts of restless energy.
As the soloist in the rondo for violin and strings by Schubert, Destrube finds the right balance of elegant lyricism and virtuosic brilliance. ABO artistic director Paul Dyer also makes a brief solo appearance in the andante from Mozart's Piano Concerto No.21. The gently throbbing pulse and delicately matched timbres of fortepiano and orchestra establish a moment of dreamy repose amid the fiery passion surrounding it.
Dyer describes this program as peering around the corner at romanticism. The dramatic flair, bold imagination and muscular freshness of these performances indicate the ABO should keep looking in this direction”.
The Australian, May 2007