reviews
RECORDINGS
Philip Glass: The Complete Piano Etudes
”The new recording by Leslie Dala, a conductor and pianist based in Vancouver, brings in a solitary air of an artist who has found stillness. Dala has a natural pianistic affinity for Glass’ compositional language. He experiments with a wealth of colours found in these etudes but never strays away from the classical pianistic tradition. A strong percussive touch accentuates the fluid motion of the music. The result is an album that is refined and rich, natural in its expression.” Ivana Popovic, Whole Note, 2021
OPERA
Carmen, Vancouver Opera
“Under the musical direction of Leslie Dala, the Vancouver Opera Orchestra was in fine form.” Hadani Ditmars, Opera Canada, May 2024
“The VO Orchestra under the baton of Leslie Dala was impeccable, taking some difficult repertoire at a very brisk tempo, and underscoring all of the action with sensitivity and skill.” Melissa Ratcliffe, Schmopera, May 2024
“Maestro Leslie Dala leads the Vancouver Opera Orchestra with expression and verve in a stellar performance of Bizet’s free-flowing score.” Review Vancouver, John Anthony Jane, May 2024
“..Under the baton of Leslie Dala, the Vancouver Opera Orchestra is beautifully modulated with the singing. The highlight is the “Aragonaise” opening Act IV’s toreador pageantry, the ensemble finding every nuance in its rat-tat-tatting tambourine, heady woodwinds, and fluid strings.” Stir Vancouver, Janet Smith, April 2024
Die Fledermaus, Vancouver Opera
“Just because Fledermaus is a bit of frothy fun does not mean that absolute precision is not required to get it right. Happily, in the Halloween performance I attended, with Leslie Dala standing in for Lacombe, the Vancouver Opera Orchestra got it right, with just the correct amount of discipline and delight.” Hadani Ditmar, Opera Canada, November, 2024
The Flying Dutchman, Vancouver Opera
"The VO Orchestra under the direction of Leslie Dala was formidable. While not having a full Wagnerian complement, Dala nonetheless brought forth a huge Wagnerian sound from the assembled orchestral forces. Full of bombast and sensitivity in equal measure, other than the unfortunate issue of the technical glitches, Dala navigated the difficult score with consummate skill that was musically brilliant.” Melissa Ratcliffe, Schmopera, 2023
“The Vancouver Opera Orchestra, under maestro Leslie Dala, does the lush and demanding score justice, from its famous swirling, storm-thrown opening to the ending’s powerhouse crescendo. (Extra kudos for instantly recovering from a momentary loss of light in the pit on opening night.)” Janet Smith, Stir Vancouver, 2023
“From the mysterious opening notes of the horns rising to the full orchestral storm, we know we are in good hands. The orchestra under Leslie Dala played with heart as well as skill against an abstract backdrop of constantly moving projections.” Elizabeth Paterson, Review Vancouver, 2023
Orfeo ed Euridice, Vancouver Opera
“'The Vancouver Opera Orchestra was back in truly fine fettle under the deft leadership of VO Associate Conductor Leslie Dala, providing a rock-solid musical underpinning. The orchestra for Orfeo is not large, and the transparent sound emanating from the pit surely had all the elegance that would have greeted the ears of the opera’s first audience at Vienna’s Burgtheater on October 5, 1762.”' Robert Jordan, Opera Canada, 2021
The Overcoat, Vancouver Opera, Tapestry Opera and Canadian Stage Theater
"Leslie Dala provided skillful conducting of a colourful score, by turns quirky, rhythmically perky, and lyrical, with some lovely harmonies coming from the Mad Chorus." Tim Matheson, Vancouver Classical Music, 2018
"This Vancouver Opera Festival production of The Overcoat - A Musical Tailoring is exquisitely staged and beautifully performed. The orchestra under the leadership of Maestro Leslie Dala interpreted James Rolfe’s unfamiliar score as if it were au fait." John Jane, Review Vancouver, 2018
"Leslie Dala led the orchestra and the singers through this work with nuance and skill and mastered the balance of orchestra and singers in the Bluma Appel which is used to housing amplified singers." Greg Finney, Schmopera, 2018
"Les Dala conducted and managed the not inconsiderable feat of keeping everything in synch. He was well supported by an excellent twelve piece band." John Gilks, Opera Ramblings, 2018
"The 12-member orchestra, under the baton of Leslie Dala, sounds bigger than its size, gamely mixing the comical and the lyrical." Janet Smith, The Georgia Straight, 2018
"Les Dala ably conducts a twelve-member ensemble that revels in Rolfe’s tangy sonorities and playfully off-kilter rhythms. It rarely plays at full force but rather in solos, duets and trios that give the work the intimate feel of a chamber opera. The opening night audience greeted the singers and the creative team with unbounded acclaim." Christopher Hoile, Stage Door, 2018
"Leslie Dala conducted a small ensemble (a dozen names listed, but it’s hard to know exactly what that entails, when one is simply “percussion” and another “keyboard”), holding everything together beautifully, and the text fully intelligible throughout." Leslie Barcza, Barczablog, 2018
Albert Herring, Vancouver Opera and Pacific Opera Victoria
"What POV did with this immensely clever piece of comic fluff was outstanding from top to bottom: from the singers, who were uniformly well cast, through the staging, which was wonderfully over the top, to the 13 musicians in the pit, who followed conductor Leslie Dala's clear, precise direction to produce sparkling and defined instrumental detail throughout." Robin J. Miller, Opera Canada, 2013
"Herring was a co-production with Vancouver Opera, whose associate conductor Leslie Dala conducted it in Victoria and did so very well, drawing polished and sensitive playing from the 15-strong ensemble—members of the Victoria Symphony—called for in the score of this chamber opera." Bernard Jacobson, Seen and Heard International, 2013
"Conductor Leslie Dala (in his POV debut) expertly led the 13-person orchestra through Britten’s picky and plucky score – creating a space for the music itself to really shine even in a sea of exaggerated characters, big voices and attention-grabbing set design." Melanie Tromp Hoover, CW Magazine, 2013
"Leslie Dala superbly led the twelve-piece chamber orchestra, consisting of a string quintet and a woodwind quintet, through Britten's demanding score." John Jane, Vancouver Review, 2013
"This production features a delightful cast directed by Glynis Leyshon, with a tight chamber orchestra led by conductor Leslie Dala." Jay Catterson, The Charlebois Post Canada, 2013
Le Nozze di Figaro, Vancouver Opera
"Leslie Dala’s orchestra was tight, with crisp pacing, most noticeable perhaps in the amazing ensembles that are so marked a feature of this opera. The great ensemble that closes Act 2 and the discovery scene in Act 3 proceeded with sparkle as each added character brought new music and a new dramatic twist, all impeccably timed by conductor, director, and singing actors." Harvery DeRoo, Vancouver Classical Music Figaro, 2017
"Director Rachel Peake has coaxed some tremendously energetic and joyful performances from the cast, carried by an effervescent chamber orchestra that conductor Leslie Dala never allows to lag." Jessica Werb, Georgia Straight, 2017
"La Bohème, Vancouver Opera
"It was an intimate and gentle Bohème, without huge voices, grandiose scenes or gut-wrenching climaxes, and conductor Leslie Dala underpinned it all with appropriately tender, voluptuous sounds from the orchestra.” Robert Jordan, Opera Canada, 2012
"The orchestra under the guidance of Leslie Dala too is wonderfully modulated against the action on the stage, conveying sprightly, shimmering tones during the playful scenes – especially in the children’s chorus with Parpignol during Act 2 – and displaying a proper amount of restraint and equipoise for the final death scene." Arman Kazemi, Vancouver Weekly, 2012
"Conductor Leslie Dala mines the score’s emotional heart, and the conversational-yet-melodic duets for the two pairs of lovers merit a pocket full of hankies."
Louise Phillips, Georgia Straight, 2012
Madama Butterfly, Vancouver Opera
"The tragic nature of the story is amplified by the orchestra’s magnificent accompaniment. Led by conductor Leslie Dala, the ensemble moves from luscious to fragile while intensifying on the monumental climaxes. Amongst the most striking is “The Humming Chorus” and the heartbreaking interlude that partners Butterfly’s nightlong vigil as she waits for Pinkerton once he’s finally made his return to the port."
Yasmine Shemesh, VanCity Buzz, 2016
"The orchestra, under Leslie Dala, supports..by finding the full range of Puccini's dynamics, from whispering strings to the pounding horns of doom." Janet Smith, Georgia Straight, 2016
"Conductor Leslie Dala gets a fine sound out of the VO orchestra, which played with the range of delicacy, sweep, and even brutality that Puccini demands." David Gordon Duke, Vancouver Sun, 2016
"The orchestra under the baton of Maestro Leslie Dala plays with calenture and shines with affecting precision in the atmospheric Prelude to the first act, while the chorus, never better, delivered a superb vocal performance." John Jane, Review Vancouver, 2016
The Magic Flute, Vancouver Opera and Edmonton Opera
"The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra led by Vancouver Opera Associate conductor Leslie Dala, gave the singers the musical underlay they needed and contributed impressively to this night of Mozartian singspiel." Bill Rankin, Opera Canada Spring, 2015
"The quality of Dala’s leadership was happily consistent throughout the performance, with fine orchestral playing well balanced with the vocal parts." Bernard Jacobson, Seen and Heard International, 2013
“As spectacle, it’s immaculate. As music, under the direction of conductor Leslie Dala, it’s impeccably played." Alexander Varty, The Georgia Straight, 2013.
Julie, Canadian Stage and Soundstreams Co-Production, Toronto
"Boesmans’s score for Julie is masterful and clever, using the timbre of his 19 instruments to sometimes predict, sometimes comment on, and sometimes supplement the action on stage….Leslie Dala led the 19 musicians with a deft hand." Robert Harris, Globe and Mail, 2015
"Conductor Leslie Dala draws exquisitely precise playing from the orchestral ensemble that relishes the tart sonorities of the score and its alternation of periods of growing tension and periods where that tension shatters into skittering fragments only to regather." Christopher Hoile, Stage Door, 2015
Musically, most of the interest comes from the pit. Boesmans uses an eighteen piece band, ably directed here by Les Dala, to produce an atonal but colourful and atmospheric sound picture which is very much at one with the drama." John Gilks, Operaramblings, 2015
La Cecchina, Glenn Gould School Opera Program, Toronto
"Conductor Leslie Dala gave an energetic, well-paced reading of the score, and the RCM Orchestra musicians responded well to him, playing wonderfully." Joseph So, Musical Toronto, 2017
Stickboy, Vancouver Opera
"The Vancouver Opera Orchestra under Leslie Dala played with verve, giving good service to the music. Altogether, an exhilarating evening..." Harvey de Roo, Vancouver Classical Music, 2014
"The orchestra is conducted by Leslie Dala, associate director at the Vancouver Opera, whose fine leadership delivers a memorable performance." Konstantin Bozhinov, Classical Voice North America, 2014
West Side Story, Vancouver Opera
"Leslie Dala drew superb eloquent and focused playing from the orchestra, pacing the score intelligently." Bernard Jacobson, Seen and Heard International, 2011
Rigoletto, Vancouver Opera
"The Vancouver Opera Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Leslie Dala is note-perfect and especially compelling in their interpretation of the harrowing thunderstorm in the final act." John Jane, Vancouver Review, 2009
“Under the assured baton of Leslie Dala, the VO orchestra and chorus produce a fine and consistent Verdi sound, with plenty of passion and lots of drama.” David Gordon Duke, Vancouver Sun, 2009
A Midsummer Night's Dream, UBC Opera
"None of the artistry on stage would be properly valued without the Vancouver Opera Orchestra and conductor, Leslie Dala who gave Britten’s spiky, changeable, wide-ranging music a moving, satisfying understanding.
“It is a sweet comedy”, as Quince says, and sweetly done." Elizabeth Paterson, Review Vancouver, 2016
CONCERTS
Masterworks Concert with Katherine Chi, piano: Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra, Thunder Bay, Ontario
"These great piano concertos (Grieg A minor piano concerto) , because they are familiar to our ears and readily engage our emotions, can seem simple or old fashioned when we hear them. But, matched to the right orchestra and conductor, they become fresh, alive and vibrant. Add a superior soloist and the music will move you profoundly. That is what Katherine Chi, conductor Leslie Dala and our TBSO musicians did on Thursday evening."
"Dala brought out all the colours and challenges in Schumann's (Symphony No 2) orchestration."
"Guest conductor Leslie Dala led the TBSO with careful pacing and clear focus." Michael Sobota, The Chronicle Journal, 2016
Ancient Voices of Children, Soundstreams Canada, Toronto
"Backed by a superb ensemble led by Leslie Dala, Pieczonka delivered a stunning, passionate, deeply committed performance of a taxing, and still startlingly original work." Robert Harris, Globe and Mail, 2015
"The ensemble was extremely tight, led by conductor Leslie Dala." Leslie Barcza, Barczablog, 2015
"So it was a pretty sure bet for Soundstreams Canada to open its 2015-16 season on Tuesday evening with a Crumb-heavy program fronted by these two singers (Krisztina Szabo and Adrianne Pieczonka). And another suitable choice was conductor Leslie Dala, who deftly held the whole kit and caboodle together." Colin Eatok, colineatok.com, 2015
Steve Reich at 80, Soundstreams Canada, Toronto
"With so much happening at all times, and with the piece in such irregular timing, it required incredible communication between the musicians and, especially, between conductor Dala and the orchestra, and they pulled it off with aplomb." Stephen Carlick, Exclaim, 2016
Damnation of Faust, Vancouver Bach Choir and Vancouver Symphony Orchestra
"The importance of the conductor as commanding general can't be overstated: Dala performed with courage and theatrical panache, ending his inaugural year in triumph— and with an implicit promise of further excitement to come." David Gordon Duke, The Vancouver Sun, 2013
"...a wonderful rendition Saturday night at the Orpheum by the Vancouver Bach Choir, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, and a set of splendid soloists with conductor Leslie Dala. The performance of this epic work drew cheers that were long and loud and deserved." Lloyd Dykk, The Georgia Straight, 2013
The Nutcracker, Goh Ballet, Vancouver B.C.
"Maestro Leslie Dala led the musicians in perfect renditions of the well-known music of The Nutcracker."
Andrea Loewen, Vancouver Presents, 2014
"The Vancouver Opera Orchestra under the direction of conductor Leslie Dala hold nothing back to deliver a rousing, satisfying work." John Jane, Review Vancouver, 2012
El Niño, Vancouver Bach Choir and Vancouver Symphony Orchestra
"Coupled with Adams’s shimmering, elegant, and sometimes surprisingly forceful music, the strategy works: as performed by the Vancouver Bach Choir, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, and the Vancouver Bach Children’s Chorus, all under Leslie Dala’s confident baton, El Niño is clearly a modern-day masterpiece." Alexander Varty, Georgia Straight, 2012
Handel's Messiah, Vancouver Bach Choir and Vancouver Symphony Orchestra
“...the overall style of the interpretation respected the spirit of the Baroque with clarity and a lithe, dance-like approach to rhythm....The result? A fresh, inspiring performance of an inspired work." David Gordon Duke, Vancouver Sun, 2010