Jenůfa at English National Opera receives high praise Financial Times (Andrew Clark): "Alden's direction finds fruition in Eivind Gullberg Jensen's ideally buoyant, rhythmically alert, liberated conducting, which has the orchestra scurrying off in nervous flurries of sound and tracing Janácek's spasmic ostinatos and pent-up climaxes with lyrical finesse: a sensational house debut for the young Norwegian." [Read full review...] Evening Standard (Barry Millington): "...the tenderness of the score captured by the sympathetic conductor Eivind Gullberg Jensen is heartbreaking...this is an unmissable show." [Read full review...] Slipped Disc — ArtsJournal Blog (Norman Lebrecht): "The young Norwegian conductor, Eivind Gullberg Jensen (bookmark that name), displays a fine sensitivity for balance and rhythm. He gives the singers all the time they need for self-expression without permitting a nanosecond of self-indulgence. " The Stage (George Hall): "...ENO's chorus and orchestra are outstanding, with the score perfectly balanced by Norwegian conductor Eivind Gullberg Jensen. It's a truly great evening." The Spectator (Michael Tanner): "...the best operatic event in London...The intensity of Eivind Gullberg Jensen's conducting [is] so involving..." The Guardian (Tim Ashley): "Eivind Gullberg Jensen conducts with admirable restraint and inexorable momentum. Strong stuff, finely done." Online Review London: " Musically the performance was outstanding. Arguably the most striking musical achievement of the evening was the orchestra, and the way Eivind Gullberg Jensen moulded every phrase. I can hardly remember when I have heard the ENO orchestra sounding so good, both lush, incisive and sensitive to a multitude of nuances. The conductor is as important in Janacek's operas since one of his principal devices is to juxtapose strikingly contrasted styles to convey shifts of mood, action and thought. These were wonderfully managed under the ever alert Jensen, who proved himself a worthy member of the line of great Janacek conductors at ENO begun by Charles Mackerrras." musicOHM (Keith McDonnell): "In the pit Eivind Gullberg Jensen was a distinct improvement on his predecessor, coaxing wonderful playing from the orchestra throughout the evening and providing perfect support for his singers. There are only four more performances – miss it at your peril!" Intermezzo — Blog: "Musically, Eivind Gullberg Jensen's ENO debut was a total triumph. The orchestra sounded wonderful, possibly the best I've ever heard them. There was an inevitability to the tempos that made everything flow naturally, and Jensen made the difficult job of balancing solo voices against Janácek's dense orchestrations seem a piece of cake. Never once were singers overwhelmed." Music Web International (Colin Clarke): "On disc, the Mackerras English version on Chandos remains a firm recommendation. It is a tribute to young Eivind Gullberg Jensen, making his UK operatic debut here with ENO, that he hardly suffered at all in comparison. The orchestra clearly likes Jensen, for the members play their hearts out for him." Boulezian — Blog (Mark Berry): "Musically, things were better still. I am not sure that I have ever heard the ENO orchestra on better form. This might have been a top-flight international orchestra, boasting considerable depth of tone and dramatic versatility. Special mention should go to leader, Janice Graham, whose crucial solos were well-nigh perfect, reminding us of at least the hope, however distant it might seem, of redemption. Clearly the orchestra was inspired, as it should have been, by the musical direction of Eivind Gullberg Jensen, who would in no sense be embarrassed by comparison with Bernard Haitink or Sir Charles Mackerras. Ever-responsive to the shifting demands of the score, there was true harshness, though never of the easily applied variety, to Jensen's reading. The more Romantic passages were never unambiguously so, with the possible exception of the conclusion — although here, given what had happened, one could hardly forget. There was not one occasion on which I thought a transition hurried or a tempo-choice questionable. Orchestral balances, the opening brass excepted, were expertly handled too. This was my first encounter with Jensen’s work; I trust that it will not be my last." [back to reviews]