NATALIE MURRAY BEALE
conductor + music consultant
Armenian State Symphony Orchestra
"The singing breadth of Murray's conductor's gesture warmed and filled every Ranjbaran melody with a lyrical feeling. Not displaying only the external - albeit very spectacular exotic side of the composition, the conductor managed to convey high moral pathos, and brought depth and beauty to this magnificent Concert." www.golosarmenii.am 17 April, 2024
"At the Yerevan concert, she conquered the ability to immerse herself entirely in music, to give herself to an emotional impulse. Natalie also captured the temperament, multi-coloured sound of the orchestra, the unique individuality of interpretations, and a creative burning inevitably transmitted to the orchestra. The audience was not their own: they enthusiastically received the musicians and everything that was presented from the stage."
www.golosarmenii.am 17 April, 2024
New Zealand Opera - Christchurch Symphony Orchestra
“In the pit the CSO embraces the conductor’s cracking pace with apparent relish.’”
Tim Jones THEATRE REVIEW 29 June, 2023
“Conductor Natalie Murray Beale had fine control over the entire ensemble with pleasing balance, and the quality of sound from the orchestra which was accurate, with beautiful moments from the woodwind principals, in particular the clarinets and the high intricate French horn work. The strings, busy as always in Mozart, played with appropriate narrow vibrato, good shaping and refinement. This wonderful last opera of Mozart’s defies the difficult circumstances in which he lived his last years just before his untimely death, but the music he produced was of such high quality, showing an extraordinary sense of classical balance and beauty, something that this special production wholly promotes.” Anthony Ferner THE PRESS 29 June, 2023
Orchestra Wellington
“And conductor Natalie Murray Beale’s vital, pliable direction held cast, chorus and orchestra, together with distinction, making the most of the NZ Opera Chorus’s Wellington contingent’s infrequent but always mellifluous and characterful contributions to the settings; and securing from Orchestra Wellington a richly-varied set of responses, both solo and corporate, to Mozart’s ineffably beautiful score. In this way conductor and players became the fulcrum around which the opera’s equivocations were most successfully and thoughtfully delivered throughout, for our pleasure!”
Peter Mechen MIDDLE-C 19 June, 2023
“Conductor Natalie Murray Beale and Orchestra Wellington provide great, sensitive and well-paced accompaniment to the fast-moving action.” Elizabeth Kerr THEATRE REVIEW 19 June, 2023
“Conductor Natalie Murray Beale adopted lively tempi and coaxed fine, stylish playing from Orchestra Wellington, especially in the lovely wind ensembles which are the glory of this score. This is a deeply
satisfying and consistent production in every respect and if we are to get only one per year from NZ Opera this is a triumph, not to be missed.” Roger Wilson STUFF 15 June, 2023
Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra
“The APO under the direction of conductor Natalie Murray Beale gave a splendid performance making Mozart’s music one of the great delights of the evening.”
John Daly-Peoples NZ ARTS REVIEW 1 June, 2023
“Natalie Murray Beale conducted with significant feeling, starting with an alert account of the overture featuring beguiling woodwind solos. Particularly remarkable was the pacing of the succession of magnificent ensembles around Ferrando and Guglielmo’s departure for the battlefield. In the complicated finales, Beale kept the voices in perfect balance and maintained an admirable sweep and momentum.” Simon Holden BACHTRACK 2 June, 2023
“Auckland Philharmonia’s forty-odd musicians never fail to cohere under the sound direction of Maestra Beale, with the woodwinds playing meltingly well. From the opening oboe solo to the liquid lyricism of the clarinet we are seduced by the beauty of the score and its performance.”
Michael Hooper THEATRE REVIEW 2 June, 2023
“Natalie Murray Beale’s incisive musical direction obviously inspires a buoyant Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra” William Dart NEW ZEALAND HERALD 2 June, 2023
London Symphony Orchestra
#No.1 Billboard Classical Charts
ALBUM OF THE WEEK: WRTI - Elgar Cello Concerto - Deutsche Grammophon - TÁR
"..the vérité performance of the London Symphony Orchestra and conductor Natalie Murray Beale is refreshingly organic, briskly paced and replete with outtakes."
Zev Kane WRTI December 6, 2022
Birmingham Contemporary Music Group
"Natalie Murray Beale’s conducting ensures that the drama packs a punch"
Andrew Clements THE GUARDIAN April 29, 2022
Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
"expertly conducted as it was by Natalie Murray Beale."
Richard Fairman FINANCIAL TIMES October 29, 2020
"the excellent conductor Natalie Murray Beale"
John Allison THE TELEGRAPH October 25, 2020
"their music, lithely dispatched under Natalie Murray Beale, hit expressive ground: anger, intercession, meditation, even wry humour."
Neil Fisher THE TIMES October 25, 2020
"...under Natalie Murray Beale the orchestra created a kaleidoscope of acoustic and electronic colours" Alexandra Coghlan, i October 26, 2020
“Could this be the defining work of art of the Covid period?”
George Hall THE STAGE October 26, 2020
“..the music is shot through with such energy that it hardly needs the accompanying video.”
Jenny Camillieri BACHTRACK October 25, 2020
Philharmonia Orchestra
"A breath of humanity is in the hands of Natalie Murray, fine, memorable, intuitive, delicate and firm, directing Symphony No.41 by Mozart."
Gustavo Tatis Guerra El UNIVERS Colombia January 6, 2019