“There is an air of mutual understanding and respect between Risto Joost and his orchestra, creating good grounds for subtle and refined performances. The fruits of their cooperation were immediately visible in how sensitively the orchestra reacted to Joost’s rubato and the changes in dynamics. Throughout the concert, the audience was repeatedly delighted with a beautifully silent piano, or with a forte that gave the impression of twice as many players on the stage. In addition to a clear dynamic plan, Joost’s conducting also displays narrativity: he infuses the piece with expressive dynamics and gives emphatic cues to both the sections and soloists, valuing players as characters whose entries and exits form an important part of the story. The symbiosis of musical narrative and delicate dynamics is what makes the music so enchanting and allows it to captivate the audience. And this is exactly what it did.”