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  06 Mar 20 Meyerbeer: La Prophète Deutsche Oper Berlin
  Berlin

  And while the synopsis of Le Prophète looks over-complex on paper, it made complete sense in the telling, powered by a superb orchestral performance under Enrique Mazzola which lit up the details of Meyerbeer’s orchestration and drove the action forward at every moment.

  David Karlin, Bachtrack, 6 March 2020

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  10 Jan 20 'Exsultate, jubilate!' Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg
  Luxembourg

  “Ainsi donc la nouvelle année vient de conquérir notre temple musical qui s’inscrit avec gourmandise(s) dans la tradition un rien archaïsante du Concert du Nouvel An, pour lequel l’Orchestre philharmonique du Luxembourg s’en était remis à la direction, rigoureuse sous des dehors fringants, du chef Enrique Mazzola.”

  “Dès l’ouverture de la «Fledermaus», l’orchestre laissa éclater une verve humoristique bienvenue qu’Enrique Mazzola canalisa toujours dans des ornières assez profondes pour contrôler d’une main de maître les étirements et suspensions provoqués. Un grand art du dérapage contrôlé qui culmina dans une «Pizzicato-Polka» ensorcelante!”

  Pierre Gerges, Luxemburger Wort, 10.01.2019,

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  12 Oct 19 Luisa Miller Lyric Opera of Chicago
  Chicago

  “Music director designate Enrique Mazzola presents a high-stakes ‘Luisa Miller'”

  Chicago Tribune, October 2019

   

  “a high-energy performance of Verdi’s “Luisa Miller” to a welcoming audience”

  “From the outset, Mazzola showed wit and smarts, keying on fast tempos not just for speed’s sake, but to encourage the orchestra’s sparkle before tacking easily into wisps of tender, fragile, lyric territory.”

  “Powerfully sung ‘Luisa Miller’ offers hints of what’s to come”

  Nancy Malitz, Chicago Sun-Times, 13 October 2019

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  14 Aug 19 Offenbach: Orphée aux Enfers
  Salzburg Festival

  ★★★★★

  “In the pit, under the persuasive baton of Enrique Mazzola, was none other than the Vienna Philharmonic”

  Matthew Rye, Bachtrack, 18 August 2019

   

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  17 Jul 19 Verdi: Rigoletto
  Bregenz Festival

  “Under conductor Enrique Mazzola and audio-transmitted from the nearby festival hall, the Wiener Symphoniker orchestra gave a fine performance that included some superb soloists, the oboe and cello deserving particular mention.”

  Sarah Batschelet, Bachtrack, 21 July 2019

  “…the music was wonderful, dynamically conducted by Enrique Mazzola with Bulgarian baritone Vladimir Stoyanov outstanding in the title role.”

  Mark Ronan, The Article, 19 July 2019

  “The Wiener Symphoniker interpreted and differentiated Verdi’s classics under the direction of Enrique Mazzola, energetic and ominous.”

  Der Standard, 19 July 2019

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  24 Oct 18 "French Fancies" London Philharmonic Orchestra
  Royal Festival Hall

  ★★★★

  “It’s not that often you can say that a concert was pure joy, but the “French fancies” programme offered by Enrique Mazzola and the London Philharmonic Orchestra had all the ingredients to make it just that.”

  Chris Garlick, Bachtrack, 25 October 2018

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  27 Sep 18 Sibelius: Symphony No. 3 Scottish Chamber Orchestra
  Usher Hall

  “Mazzola’s interpretation of Sibelius’ Third Symphony that followed was simply exquisite: high-definition without being finicky, kept buoyant with a gentle sense of propulsive energy, fresh, unfolding with organic inevitability. There was a supple flow to his lightly dancing slow movement, and an immense sense of momentum generated as the finale approached its sonorous conclusion.”

  David Kettle, The Scotsman, 29 September 2018

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  04 Feb 18 I Puritani Lyric Opera of Chicago
  Lyric Opera of Chicago

  “… But you don’t go to “Puritani” for the designs or the lighting — you go for the singing. It’s to the credit of returning conductor Enrique Mazzola, one of today’s foremost masters of bel canto, that the Lyric orchestra provides so stylish a cushion of support for the singers.”

  John von Rhein, Chicago Tribune, 05 February 2018

   

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  26 Nov 17 Le Prophète Deutsche Oper Berlin
  Deutsche Oper Berlin

  ★★★★

  “Enrique Mazzola conducted a well-prepared Deutsche Oper orchestra excitingly, always alive to the music’s fizz and sparkle. The Deutsche Oper’s chorus sang with gutsy commitment.”

   

  Hugo Shirley, Bachtrack, 28 November 2017

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  08 Jun 17 Schumann Philharmonia Orchestra
  Royal Festival Hall

  ★★★★

  “Bel canto Schumann unzipped by Enrique Mazzola and the Philharmonia”

  “Under a very steady hand from Mazzola, the Philharmonia produced a sumptuous performance which did full justice to the work. Every department glowed, but particularly the large string section that shone in the tricky passage work and were gloriously rich when needed.”

   

  Chris Garlick, Bachtrack, 09 June 2017

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  15 Oct 16 Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor Lyric Opera of Chicago *Debut*
  Lyric Opera of Chicago

  “The show’s third musical pillar is the gifted young Italian conductor Enrique Mazzola, a first-rate bel canto opera stylist making an impressive company debut. His vigorous orchestral support fits hand in glove with the superior vocalism of Lyric’s star couple.”

  John von Rhein, Chicago Tribune, 16 October 2016 

   

  “The orchestral playing was very tight; Enrique Mazzola can stop a whole bank of strings on a dime. The brass was especially good, boasting an appealingly puckered staccato on Donizetti’s Italianate accompaniment textures.”

  Dan Wang, Bachtrack, 25 October 2016

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  25 Jul 16 Rossini: Il barbiere di Siviglia Glyndebourne's Barbiere at the BBC Proms
  Royal Albert Hall

  “The true factotum of the evening was conductor Enrique Mazzola, faced with the unenviable task of keeping together Rossini’s tricky ensembles with his back to the singers. Under Mazzola’s direction, the London Philharmonic Orchestra played with great aplomb – no light soufflé this, but a full-blooded Italian affair complete with whirling woodwinds and a gleefully
  enthusiastic percussion section that matched the riotous fun had by the
  audience.”

  Kevin W Ng, BachTrack, 26 July 2016

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  22 May 16 Rossini: Il barbiere di Siviglia Glyndebourne Opera (First Night)
  Glyndebourne Opera

  “Above all, conductor Enrique Mazzola gets Rossini’s music to sizzle. No slouching, no lingering here and there — just razor-sharp playing from the London Philharmonic Orchestra at helter-skelter speeds.”

  Richard Fairman, Financial Times, 23 May 2016 

   

  “The chemistry is everything, and if sparks fly from the lean, characterful playing of the London Philharmonic, astutely paced by conductor Enrique Mazzola to maximize the build-up towards utter pandemonium.”

  Neil Fisher, The Times, 24 May 2016 

   

  “…the expert Enrique Mazzola is conducting and, with the help of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the score bubbles along on a Puckish current of merry mischief.”

  Rupert Christiansen, The Telegraph, 23 May 2016

   

  “From the overture – volatile and fizzy – this was largely Enrique Mazzola’s night. The LPO responded to every nuance; the piccolo shrieked merrily, strings scampered, woodwinds chortled. It sounded as if the players were having a ball and Mazzola, bobbing up and down, was sharing the fun.”

  Par Mark Pullinger, BachTrack, 23 May 2016 

   

  “Everyone benefits from the energy generated by the London Philharmonic Orchestra under Enrique Mazzola: they are the production’s real powerhouse.”

  Nick Kimberley, Evening Standard, Monday 23 May 2016| 

   

  “Nor does it hurt to have Enrique Mazzola at the helm of a trippingly light London Philharmonic Orchestra. This masterly conductor is a Glyndebourne favourite with good reason: he ‘gets’ Rossini and has a keen ear for tempo and idiom. To be frank, The Barber of Seville can be a bore in the wrong hands, but here it was joy unalloyed…”

  Mark Valencia, What’s On Stage, 23 May 2016 

   

  “Cast and conductor have been near-perfectly chosen. Enrique Mazzola is a crisp and elegant master of Italian opera buffa at Glyndebourne, his beat clear and high to make sure no-one on stage slips a beat or gets out of synch in those difficult patter ensembles. The London Philharmonic’s phrases and the many solos in the Overture – no newcomer for Barbiere, since Rossini had used it twice before – breathe vocal delight, and inner details like the lower string patterns in the big crescendo register beautifully in the wonderful acoustics.”

  David Nice, The Arts Desk, Monday, 23 May 2016 

   

  “The London Philharmonic Orchestra is in the pit, offering spruce and vital playing under conductor Enrique Mazzola, who presents every number from the overture to the Act II finale with exemplary character and point.”

  George Hall, The Stage, 23 May  2016 

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  04 Dec 15 Respighi: Pines of Rome London Philharmonic Orchestra
  Royal Festival Hall

  “Pines of Rome is always a work that is a real thrill to experience live in the concert hall, and Mazzola and his players didn’t let us down, from the doggedly stomping double bassists to the brass extras calling from the Royal Festival Hall’s boxes. Yet there was beauty and delicacy, too, and Robert Hill’s clarinet-playing made an eloquent foil to the recorded nightingale of the Janiculum.”

   
  Matthew Rye, Bachtrack, 05 December 2015 

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  21 May 15 Donizetti: Poliuto Glyndebourne Opera
  Glyndebourne Festival

  “… superb musical performance, conducted with crisp precision by Enrique Mazzola and played with galvanised conviction by the London Philharmonic Orchestra.”
  Rupert Christiansen, The Telegraph, 21 May 2015 

   

  “All get firstrate support from the excellent Glyndebourne Chorus and London Philharmonic Orchestra under conductor Enrique Mazzola.”
  Richard Fairman, The Financial Times, 24 May 2015 

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  01 Mar 14 Bizet, Berlioz Wiener Symphoniker *Debut*
  Musikverein

  “Musikverein und Symphoniker hatten Glück im Pech (…) in letzter Minute gewann der Musikverein den Italiener Enrique Mazzola.”

  “Mazzola erwies sich bei Bizets 1. Symphonie wie bei Berlioz’ “Symphonie Fantastique” als souveräner Techniker, der die Werke mit Elan, klaren Konturen und effektvollen dynamischen Kontrasten gestaltet.”

  Ljubisa Tosic, Der Standard, 4 March 2014

   

  “Der Chef des Orchestre national d’île-de-France (…) zeigte sich auch als umsichtiger, herzlich strahlender Advokat des französischen Repertoires.”

  Karlheinz Roschitz, Kronen Zeitung, 4 March 2014

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  18 Jul 13 Donizetti: Don Pasquale Glyndebourne Opera
  Glyndebourne Festival

  ★★★★

  “And there is scintillating playing from the London Philharmonic, with eloquent cello and trumpet solos gracing orchestral interludes and crisp, faultless accompaniments provided for those on stage. In this repertoire Enrique Mazzola has few peers. He coaxes singers through awkward coloratura with a myriad deft tempo variations, fizzes through ensembles with a plethora of perky offbeat accents, and never once loses rapport with pit or stage. A conducting masterclass.”
  Richard Morrison, The Times, 21 July 2013

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  01 Feb 12 Donizetti: Don Pasquale Orchestre National de France
  Theatre des Champs Elysées

  “Because under the baton of the very wise, very lively and bright,
  energetic, but creamy Enrique Mazzola, the Orchestra National de France paid great attention to all the subtleties in the instrumental writing of Donizetti, which was voiced and expressed freely.”
  AltaMusic, Gerard Mannoni, February 2012

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  01 Oct 11 Cherubini: Medée Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment *Debut*
  Purcell Room

  “Cherubini’s Medée is a piece that some of our more enterprising opera companies should think about rediscovering. Enrique Mazzola, an OAE debutant with flair (and a sense of fun), conducted its fizzing overture with verve, and the French mezzo-soprano Stephanie d’Oustrac followed it with a keenly Classical take on this heroine’s Greek tragedy”

  Neil Fisher, The Times, October 2011