Tempo, accentuation, phrasing, or structural architecture are not the first thing that strikes the listener when he listens to Arthur Schoonderwoerd’s performances of classical orchestral music for the first time. Instead, the first thing we can notice is that the music sounds different. The orchestra is unusually small. You might want to judge whether this is good or not, but that will not truly help you deal with the phenomenon in itself. Apart from the winds – in the usual line-up as called for in the score – the string section is barely larger than a string quartet. It is pointless to dispute whether this is preferable to a large orchestra. More significant is the striking effect this has on the senses. If you want to do justice to Schoonderwoerd’s interpretation concept, it is best to start by focusing on what you are hearing. © CAvi-Music