Around 3000 spectators enjoyed pure romance over the weekend... The basis for the exciting musical evening under the open sky is, of course, laid in the orchestra pit. Conductor HELGE DORSCH draws an astonishingly Germanic color from the horn sound of the Budapest Symphony Orchestra. The musicians are also the ones who, in the eerie summoning of the demon "Samiel", the devil of German mythology, drive the tension to the peak with their performance.
Loreley Festival - Tour of Germany
Weber's music is convincingly supported in its illustrative ability by the Philharmonic Orchestra of the State Opera Budapest under the direction of HELGE DORSCH. ...a pleasant opera evening in the fascinating acoustics of the Loreley open-air stage. Wiesbadener Kurier
Even in the overture, which has symphonic qualities, the orchestra impressed with idyllic clarinet and horn sounds, which soon transition to dramatic outbursts and eventually to a liberating cry of jubilation at the end. The vital conductor HELGE DORSCH shaped this work with his musicians with a lot of temperament and an astonishingly sure instinct, while taking clear account of the individual orchestra groups. He could not orient himself in just one direction but had to conduct left and right because the orchestra was placed next to the stage rather than in front of it as is usually the case due to technical reasons. Nevertheless, he managed this brilliantly throughout the performance. This was already noticeable in the entrance chorus, which filled the space with an admirably full sound. The Symphony Orchestra and the choir of the Budapest State Opera immediately presented an excellent business card here... It is not customary to give applause to the orchestra in between, but after the successful interpretation of the interlude, this audience "sin" is certainly forgivable. Westfalenpost
The audience greeted the successful performance of the "Loreley Klassik" ensemble with enthusiastic applause. This young festival has firmly established itself in recent years and has become indispensable from the German summer festival plan. Under the direction of conductor HELGE DORSCH, the orchestra provided an exceptional listening experience. Süderländer Volksfreund
A good decision was made with the engagement of the Loreley Festival. The performers were the State Orchestra Budapest under the direction of HELGE DORSCH as well as international soloists. The audience was thrilled... The tour of the Loreley Festival was a stroke of luck. Balver Echo
The audience experienced a first-class orchestra and excellent singers... a top-class, almost three-hour performance, which was met with sustained applause. Neue Rhein-Zeitung
Under the baton of HELGE DORSCH, the musical director of the Loreley Festival, the Symphony Orchestra and choir of the Budapest State Opera immersed the evening in romantic sounds. The "Freischütz" provided the spectators and listeners with a beautiful sound experience under the open sky. Rheinische Post
"Freischütz" performance under the musical direction of Professor HELGE DORSCH delighted the audience. ...The grandeur of the "Hunter's Chorus" and the overwhelming emotions that the Wolf's Glen scene evoked gave the performance a magnetic appeal that was hard to resist. The ensemble knew how to present all this with the greatest empathy and musical pathos to an enthusiastic audience, which bid farewell to the artists with "Standing Ovations." Grafschafter Nachrichten
HELGE DORSCH at the podium stood for high standards and ensured the elegance of the musical diction with extensive orchestral color and choral sound. Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung
Why doesn’t HELGE DORSCH forge the "Rheingold" on the "Loreley," the real gold treasure that is supposed to lie in the Rhine, into a whole "Ring of the Nibelung"? Bayreuth is in urgent need of competition! Neue Presse Hannover
Under the direction of HELGE DORSCH, the choir and Symphony Orchestra of the Budapest State Opera appeared very agile and reliable. Bonner Generalanzeiger
It became clear after a short time that the Loreley Festival, with the orchestra playing lively and cultivated under HELGE DORSCH and the surprisingly well-singing choir of the Budapest State Opera in German, had made an excellent choice. HELGE DORSCH mastered the situation, even though he had to conduct in all possible directions. The long and heartfelt applause was for the guests from Budapest as well as for the experienced musical director and the internationally proven soloists. Hohenloher Zeitung
It is certainly not easy to produce top performances on a daily basis for an ensemble performing elsewhere. Nevertheless, the Budapest Symphony Orchestra made every effort under the spirited and committed direction of HELGE DORSCH to create the right hunter and Wolf's Glen atmosphere musically. The ensemble of this year’s Loreley Festival was bid farewell with heartfelt applause. Allgemeine Zeitung
There was little to fault in the acoustics. This benefited especially the Budapest Opera Orchestra under the direction of HELGE DORSCH, which played throughout with beautiful and transparent sound. The choir also sang fabulously. The performance was a complete success, and the audience rewarded it with standing ovations. Münstersche Zeitung
The guest performance of the opera attracted nearly 4000 spectators. ...This "Freischütz" production had a high level and did not descend into a "shout fest." This was also due to the musical direction of HELGE DORSCH, who managed to coordinate the singers and orchestra under the most challenging open-air conditions. Under his baton, the Symphony Orchestra of the Budapest State Opera played Weber's popular melodies as well as the exciting passages of the music with tempo and dramatic momentum. Badische Neueste Nachrichten
"Freischütz" celebrated... Conductor HELGE DORSCH had the Budapest Symphony Orchestra firmly in hand and led it together with the cultured-singing choir of the Loreley stage from highlight to highlight. At the end, there was strong applause, bravo, and cheers. One can already look forward to the next guest performance of the excellent Loreley ensemble. Badisches Tagblatt