Andrew Clements [The Guardian, 11 October 2005]
The Royal Scottish National Orchestra has a new music director, the 33-year-old Frenchman StÈphane DenËve, and this season’s programmes have a certain freshness, with DenËve’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 MÈlisande for the first time.