“The Eighth Symphony by Shostakovich was equally performed stunningly, relentless and precise, embodying all the crushing war and oppression machinery (Shostakovich often doubles meaning) with hauntingly cold, desolate passages. … However, what truly etched this performance into memory was Hermus’s storytelling strength, weaving all parts of this long symphony into a captivating, deeply human epic.”

“…Antony Hermus knows exactly when to support his musicians and when to give them free rein. …The first Nachtmusik becomes a festival of delightful details, the Scherzo is gripping with its blend of anxiety and hedonism, and the second Nachtmusik does justice to its marking: andante amoroso. The finale is indeed that “radiant daylight” Mahler envisioned, where the musicians, …, play with heartfelt exuberance, exploring every corner of a score that turns the orchestra itself into a spectacle, to the sheer delight of an ecstatic audience.”

“What is unique is how he forms a unity with his musicians and then allows everything, from the smallest nuance to the greatest explosions of sound, to blossom in all the musical colors of the rainbow… These evenings became an experience… an atmosphere arose here for which words are inadequate”

“Hermus shows that he is perfectly in command of this great symphony. Conducting without a baton and with gestures that are as sober as they are effective, the Dutch conductor can count on an orchestra in a state of grace. For some sixty-five minutes, there was not one moment’s slackening either on the podium or among the ranks of the ecstatic Belgian National Orchestra. We admire the tension mercilessly maintained during a first movement lasting almost half an hour, the conductor perfectly rendering the inexorable character and blind violence of the music.... the exceptional performance of the conductor and the orchestra, which has rarely been heard to sound so well, all sections covering themselves in glory.”

“As part of the Hull City Hall Classics 2022/2023 (in partnership with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the Hull Philharmonic Orchestra) last night we were treated to a masterclass in how to produce an orchestral concert. I have seen the Royal Philharmonic on a number of occasions and they seem to get better every time I see them. Their conductor was Antony Hermus (Chief Conductor Designate of the Belgian National Orchestra and Principal Guest Conductor of the North Netherlands Orchestra and Opera North) and his enthusiasm and skill was evident from the moment he set foot on the City Hall stage. He kept the audience in the palm of his hand and his explanation of the pieces was very well received.”

“Hermus conducts with considerable finesse, and the playing is impeccable in its elegance and sensuous detail”

“It was down to Antony Hermus’s conducting that the whole show took wings, and the orchestral playing was sumptuous and finely disciplined. The principal guest conductor role created for him by Opera North only relatively recently is already paying rich dividends”

“Under its principal guest conductor Antony Hermus, the Orchestra of Opera North was in first class form and sounded glorious with the woodwind relishing its considerable contributions”

“If the pieces created are demanding for the soloist, they are also demanding for the orchestra as a whole, which must demonstrate great precision in order to take all the abrupt turns imposed by the score. Antony Hermus’ energetic and alert conducting guides the incisive interpretation of the three pieces performed.”

“It must be said that both the carefully prepared interpretation of Hermus and the performance of a disciplined, willing and enthusiastic Belgian National Orchestra made the best impression ... Under the ever attentive direction of its future chief conductor, the orchestra showed excellent form in all its sections.”

“It was impressive that Dutch conductor Antony Hermus, a great admirer of Norgard, managed to bring out so many nuances in the orchestral sound”

““The Minuet was played with attractive energy, without roughness, and with a delicious singing, rustic trio. The strings were once more impressively precise in the brilliant “Presto Vivace” finale, which sounded just like a Rossini overture. Showing an elegant classicism in the Schubert (Symphony Nr. 3), the Dutch conductor impressed also in Sibelius 3, showing intelligence and rigour…His superbly coherent approach never ceased to amaze…he knew precisely how to express this profoundly strange music, giving us Sibelius which was masterful but never comfortable, such as in the final Moderato – impressively serious, and played with the necessary sense of the inexorable.””

“Truly a top performance. An interpretation in which courage and quality competed for priority. Antony Hermus is the big trigger and driver of this courage.

Hermus built the first part of the symphony with a master’s hand. The string sound was to die for. And the fantastic solos of flautist Francesco Gatti and hornist Hanna Guirten may serve as an example for the quality of the entire NNO.

The second miracle occurred at the end, where Mahler let his music, and therefore himself, die out in the sky. Hermus turned these barely audible bars into something unforgettable. The emotion was vibrating in the room. Magic.”

“Hermus steered the huge orchestra through the arc of the narrative and all its lovely details with masterly clarity.”

“There are probably not so many orchestras that can make Janacek’s harmonies sound as tender as the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra. Under the leadership of Antony Hermus, the Cunning Little Vixen Suite brimmed with sensuality.”

“Antony Hermus’ superb conducting takes all the prizes in this new production from the Opera du Rhin…quick-silver, volcanic conducting.”

“Throughout, Linus Roth is the master of his craft, at-one with the three Concertos, and benefitting from alert and sympathetic support from Antony Hermus and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, all rounded by Andrew Keener’s exemplary production and Simon Eadon’s first-class sound.”

“Throughout, Linus Roth is the master of his craft, at-one with the three Concertos, and benefitting from alert and sympathetic support from Antony Hermus and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, all rounded by Andrew Keener’s exemplary production and Simon Eadon’s first-class sound.”

“Hermus, who is one of today’s great motivators, led the Strasbourg orchestra with passion through the stormy sound world, demanding the utmost in focus and precision, resulting in wonderful flexibility and variety… The orchestra let themselves be carried along by Hermus, playing with great emotion and indeed chutzpa..”

“Under the direction of Antony Hermus, the North Netherlands Orchestra plays this score with relish: growling basses, tender strings and warm sounds from the horns…”

“The North Netherlands Orchestra plays at an unbelievably high level under the guidance of that driving-force Antony Hermus.”

“Above all it is Antony Hermus on the podium, who is a wizard with Korngold’s rich score, presenting the work in meticulous detail and running the gamut from Wagnerian passion to ethereally quiet passages reminiscent of Richard Strauss.”

“Opera North has engaged a superb conductor, Antony Hermus…He clearly understands the theatrical ebb and flow of Puccini’s ever-compelling score, maintaining the dramatic tension while luxuriating in its lyrical episodes and highlighting the rich tapestry of the orchestration. Many passages sounded fresh and new, and the orchestra played for Hermus as if their lives depended on it. He must return soon.”

“Dutch conductor Antony Hermus, a model maestro in the first half, had the orchestra to himself for Elgar’s Enigma Variations after interval, giving an extraordinarily vivid reading, full of dash and intricate detail.”

“Under Hermus the Bamberg Symphony is outstanding. The conductor depicts the characters with great clarity, keeps the ensemble tight and technically immaculate through all the complex layering, knows how to make one passage flow seamlessly into the next, and to cap it all, has an astonishingly intuitive feel for the way the modulations create tension and excitement.”

“Antony Hermus conducts the Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg with absolute dedication, lending every gesture and every breath a kind of crazy energy. He communicates every nuance of Janacek’s luxuriant, expressionistic score with enthusiasm and equilibrium...”

“The performances are classy...beautifully textured....it’s done with impudent wit and panache.”

“The orchestra, under Dutch conductor Antony Hermus, had fantastic precision, both in rhythm and sound…outstandingly well portrayed.”

“Hermus proved that there lurks a fearsome Mahler Conductor in him . The First Symphony unfolded from a soothing calmness which was based on natural authority . Rarely do we hear the trio of the second movement so tender and blissful . In the finale, I loved the outbreaks of terrifying blind panic…”