Andrew Clements [The Guardian, 11 October 2005]

The Royal Scottish National Orchestra has a new music director, the 33-year-old Frenchman Stéphane Denève, and this season's programmes have a certain freshness, with Denève's imprint clear to see. He is certainly putting his French connections to good use: a predominantly French-speaking cast had been assembled for this performance, including Natalie Dessay, who was singing the role of Mélisande for the first time.