Larks ascending in Ozawa Hall
June 1, 1998
… Conductor Gisèle Ben-Dor proved that all an old war-horse needs to bring it back to life is a little imagination and a lot of heart.
… the Pro Arte under Ben-Dor is a clear champion.
… Ben-Dor has spoken in interviews of the obstacles she encountered – and not just because she is a woman – in becoming a conductor. Perhaps it was the need to overcome a kicking around by adversity, along with an excitable temperament, that made her the conductor she is.
… But she knows what she wants, and she gets results. Among other things, she has the gift – perhaps it is something she learned from Leonard Bernstein during her 1985 Tanglewood summer – of getting an orchestra revved up, not beating time for a few measures, and sending the music spinning off into orbit on its own.