From 23 to 30 November, Martijn led six performances of La Bohème in the award-winning production by Graham Vick at the Teatro Comunale Bologna. His Puccini debut received overwhelming reviews from the international opera press. The production starred Stefan Pop, Karen Gardaazabal, Vittorio Prato and Giuliana Gianfaldoni singing the main roles.

Operatraveller praised the magical connection with the Orchestra del Teatro Comunale and the “phenomenal range of orchestral colour he obtained from his musicians”, as well as “filling the room with a glow of sound, never covering the singers”. Opera Mundus highlighted the “passionate reading which showed a profound knowledge of the score”, whereas Il Resto del Carlino hails the “splendid result he achieved from the singers and the orchestra, bringing Puccini closer to other European composers from that time, without renouncing flexibility and softness”.

L’Ape musicale writes: “It would almost be instinctive to call his interpretation symphonic, if the adjective didn’t risk misunderstanding: theatricality isn’t sacrificed, the stage isn’t subordinated to the pit; on the contrary, the sound knows how to subtly thin out with chamber-like care without ever losing its substance. One admires, if anything, the maturity in never overdoing it, never showing off, despite the flexibility and wide dynamic range.”

“He conducts with a clear vision”, writes Connessi all’Opera, “we shift from the explosion of colours in the first scene, emphasising sensual flashes and the discovery of new emotions, to sounds that become increasingly dry, almost stripped bare, as if hope were fading.” The Spanish magazine Codalario writes that “his baton is extraordinary and denotes his emotional involvement and great sense of drama. His interpretation, rich in detail, draws out the variety of colours and refined harmony that emerges from the singing, encouraging the singers’ spontaneity.”

Lohengrin magazine complimented the “colorful, emotional, and lively interpretation of Puccini, achieving a compact and brilliant sound. The vibrancy of the second act was extraordinary under Dendievel’s baton, as was the lyricism of the first act and the drama of the third and fourth acts.” On Operaclick, we read that Martijn “proves himself to be a top-level conductor in Puccini. His gestures are impeccable and elegant, intended to convey delicate tonal atmospheres and melancholic disillusionment, which seem to permeate even the most lively and playful moments. The voices are never overpowered, quite the contrary. Everything is perfectly calibrated, there is nothing demonstrative.”

Next season, Martijn will conduct Lohengrin at the Teatro Comunale di Piacenza, as well as making his operatic debut in Belgium conducting Schreker’s Der Schmied von Gent.