REVIEWS

"Prieto coaxed a luxuriant sound from the orchestra that captured the music’s richness and vibrant enthusiasm. Working without a score, the Mexican-born conductor showed impressive mastery of the music, never missing the intricate nuances de Falla brought to the work. It was an insightful account — well-delineated and executed, and punctuated alternately with bold gestures and well-crafted lyricism. The orchestra responded wonderfully to Prieto’s direction, playing with rhythmic vitality and clean articulation."
Utah Arts Review, November 2019

Prieto makes outstanding New World debut in user-friendly program
"In his first New World appearance, Prieto was a dynamic presence on the podium, conducting with vigor and tremendous enthusiasm. His stick technique is clear with purposeful gestures always related to the music at hand. He drew energized and focused playing from the ensemble which clearly had great rapport with their guest conductor."
South Florida Classical Review, November 2019

"...a beautiful performance with an impressive ensemble sonority."
New York Classical Review, July 2019

“Prieto’s noble interpretation and the commitment and enthusiasm of the players, who clearly love working with him, resulted in a performance of such blazing conviction that it was impossible not to be moved by it.”
The Guardian, Four Stars, April 2019

"Prieto stirred up terrific energy...in Chávez’s colourful, Aztec-inspired Sinfonia India."
The Times of London, Four Stars, April 2019

"[Prieto] seized victory from the jaws of defeat by taking an initially unpromising concert and shifting it into a delight.”
The Washington Post, October 2018

“Mr. Prieto’s feel for subtle shifts in dynamics created an environment both dreamy and dramatic.”
The New York Times, February 2018

"The Overture to Wagner’s “Tannhauser” unfolded with unforced grandeur and a vivid sense of inevitability ... Seldom does a guest conductor make such an impressive debut as Prieto did Friday night. The audience’s ovation at the end was immediate and fervid."
Minneapolis Star-Tribune, June 2017

"An evening of extraordinarily focused and yet entirely spontaneous-sounding music-making ... Intensely serious and demanding [Shostakovich] benefited from the conductor's concentration on steady pacing rather than hell-for-leather optimism."
The Guardian, Five Stars, April 2017

"In addition to all the teenage brilliance on show here, the success of the NYO’s latest programme was due in no small measure to Prieto... Commanding [Shostakovich Symphony No.5's] structure impressively, Prieto unleashed the NYO in a searing performance in which everyone gave their brilliant best."
Telegraph, Five Stars, April 2017

"Few [performances of Verdi Requiem], if any, have seemed so true to the nature of the beast as this exceptional performance by the RSNO under Mexican conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto... It was like viewing a reconditioned old master, cleaned up to reveal its original brilliance."
Scotsman, five stars, December 2016 

“Prieto and the orchestra entered fully into the supercharged energy of the music, making as much of its tender lyricism as they did of its convulsive rhythms and clashing tonalities.”
Chicago Tribune, May 2013