Press

The following are excerpts from select industry reviews of Kreizberg’s live performances, primarily between 1993 and early 2005, listed in reverse-chronological order

reviews from other concerts will be added as they are catalogued

l’Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo - Auditorium Ranier III

“Under the baton of Yakov Kreizberg, the Monte Carlo Philharmonic has never played the Sacre du Printemps so beautifully in all its years of existence.

[…] We are swept off our feet by the orchestra and this extraordinary conductor, who, without even using any scores, electrifies the musicians with grand, precise gestures, his elegant silhouette arising in all splendor above the orchestra.”

Nice Matin, 31st March 2010

l’Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo - Auditorium Ranier III

“Kreizberg narrates the mad and tragic tale of Sacre in a subtle and compelling way and with incredible control and poetry. In short, he has mastered a work which most conductors do not understand… the dazzling, refined musicianship sets the tone perfectly. Marvelous and uplifting, the physical impact was so strong that the audience wanted to scream at the end of the first part: the music just left you breathless with a twisted soul."

[…] The entire auditorium and the orchestra stand in ovation demanding the return of the conductor. He advances but remains amongst the musicians, refusing to take all the credit. This lesson in humility says a lot about Yakov Kreizberg, placing his music and his duty towards the Philharmonic Orchestra of Monte Carlo before everything else.”

Jean-Charles Hoffelé, concertclassic.com, 28th March 2010

Dallas Symphony Orchestra - Meyerson Symphony Center

"Mr. Kreizberg's hot-blood account of the Tchaikovsky Fourth Symphony called up memories of a great St. Petersburg forbear, conductor Yevgeny Mravinsky. The DSO brasses kept shy of the paint-off-the-walls bray of a genuine Russian orchestra, but only just, and the violins worked up some authentically searing tones. The finale was whipped into a hair-raising tizzy.

Mr. Kreizberg's conducting was athletic and elaborately choreographed. And it got taut, committed playing, with a razor's edge on rhythms that wanted it.

Horacio Gutiérrez was a nobly expressive soloist in the Chopin E minor Piano Concerto [No. 1]. His unforced sound filled the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, and he pushed and pulled appropriate phrases to quite lovely effect. That Mr. Kreizberg and the orchestra matched every twist and turn of expressivity was no small accomplishment."

Scott Cantrell, Dallas Morning News, 11th February 2005

Dallas Symphony Orchestra - Meyerson Symphony Center

"Kreizberg, who arrives with a resume decorated with some of the biggest names and grandest orchestras in the world, opened the concert with the Cantabile for String Orchestra by contemporary Latvian composer Peteris Vasks. He and the symphony painted a striking string-scape with swells and hollows and even a few pitched battles between the violins and the lower strings.

[…] The evening closed with Tchaikovsky's sprawling Symphony No. 4 in F Minor. The work is a compendium of the Russian composer's best moves, and Kreizberg made the most of all of them."

Punch Shaw, Special to the Star-Telegram, 11th February 2005

Hallé Orchestra - Bridgewater Hall, Manchester

"Those who listened live on Radio 3 last night may have heard something pretty exciting - but in the hall there was the bonus of seeing conductor Yakov Kreizberg in action as well.

He impressed when he brought the Bournemouth Orchestra here a few years ago, and his opener, Dvorak’s Carnival Overture, demonstrated the control and rhythmic energy he injects into his music.

[…] In Tchaikovsky's Fourth Symphony, the Russian-trained conductor was on home ground, and his emphasis on articulation and almost clipped phrasing produced a vivid counterpoint of the rhythms."

Richard Beale, Manchester Evening News, 12th January 2005

Bamberg Symphony Orchestra - Sinfonie an der Regnitz

"In Stravinsky's Petruschka he [Kreizberg] commands the music, baton, and orchestra [...] Kreizberg's strengths, including among others his ability to bring the orchestra together to create climaxes through simple suggestion and to unfold intoxicating layers of sound, allow an inner tension to build throughout the piece until its abrupt conclusion."

Rupert Plischke, Fréankischer Tag, 10th January 2005

Bamberg Symphony Orchestra - Sinfonie an der Regnitz

"Conductor Yakov Kreizberg was a first-class leader with clear gestures, who allowed each orchestral section enough interpretive freedom to open themselves up. [...] Standing ovations from a full house."

Thomas Starost, Schweinfurter Tagblatt, 10th January 2005

Munich Philharmonic - Philharmonie im Gasteig

"Yakov Kreizberg generously delivered […] clarity of the musical construction, passion of music-making style, and relentless control over emotional expressive resources."

Rudiger Schwarz, Abendzeitung, 22nd November 2004

Munich Philharmonic - Philharmonie im Gasteig

"Seconds seemed each to pass between the dull Pizzicato blows, and in the silence that occurred between them, no sound could be heard in the whole large and full Philharmonic hall, no cough, no clearing throat, no movement. If there is proof required that inspired music-making has a physical effect and that it can make the breath stall, Yakov Kreizberg and the members of the Munich Philharmonic produced it in Shostakovich's Eleventh Symphony this evening."

Andreas Grabner, Munchner Merkur, 22nd November 2004

Bregenz Festival — Festspielhaus

"The double bill of Weil's Der Protagonist and Royal Palace (July) was an absolute knock-out [...] I can’t imagine either work being better done, and certainly have never heard them as well played as they were by the Weiner Symphoniker under Yakov Kreizberg: warmth, wit, total clarity of texture."

Rodney Milnes, Opera, November 2004

Wiener Symphoniker — Konzerthaus, Vienna

"Yakov Kreizberg inspired the Vienna Symphony to dramatic and full-blooded playing [...]

[…] Maestro Kreizberg pushed through his idea of a monumental 8 double basses throughout [Schubert C Major Symphony] right up to a very emotional finale and obtained with it a large and unequivocal ovation."

Herbert Miiller, Wiener Zeitung, 20th October 2004

Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra — Concertgebouw, Amsterdam

"Kreizberg, not yet one year leading the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, has achieved wonders in that short time. One can hear this especially in the strings, where an amazing melodious and fluid sound was produced, but also in the strong blending that the orchestra displayed as a whole. Equally fascinating is the manner in which Kreizberg, in the one and a half hour that Mahler's Second Symphony takes, models the sound and gives it, despite the enormous contrasts, continuous forward movement.

[…] Kreizberg, who already last year, received a lot of praise with Mahler's First Symphony, has planned to conduct a Mahler-Symphony each season. Relying on the level of this performance we are promised a triumphant journey ahead."

Frit van der Waa, Volksrant, 27th September 2004

Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra — Concertgebouw, Amsterdam

"In Yakov Kreizberg’s hands Mahler's Second Symphony was a true barrel of gunpowder [...]"

Eddie Vetter, De Telegraaf, 27th September 2004

Los Angeles Philharmonic - Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles

"Returning to Hollywood Bowl and the podium of the Los Angeles Philharmonic on Tuesday night, Yakov Kreizberg led a Dvorak programme of clarity, astuteness and finesse. […] Together Gerhardt and Kreizberg returned this much-battered showpiece [Dvorak Cello Concerto] to its rightful place as an example of Dvorak’s lyric ingenuity at its peak. A noble performance."

Daniel Cariaga, Los Angeles Times, 12th August 2004

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra - The Lighthouse, Poole

"The pen may be mightier than the sword, but when it comes to literature-inspired works, the baton and the BSO make a rather impressive commentary. Yakov Kreizberg’s passionate advocacy for Tchaikovsky's Manfred Symphony, directed from memory, must be ranked among this season’s highlights."

Mike Marsh, Daily Echo, 6th May 2004

Minnesota Orchestra — Orchestra Hall, Minneapolis

"It was obvious Thursday night that this is a work [Schmidt Symphony No 4] he [Kreizberg] knows intimately. The performance seemed deeply considered and was elegantly played. The orchestra soloists easily captured the richly elegiac quality of the work, whose four movements, played without pause, flowed seamlessly. Of Kreizberg's many appearances here in recent years, this was the one for the time capsule."

Michael Anthony, Star Tribune, 9th April 2004

Philharmonia Orchestra - Royal Festival Hall, London

"Kreizberg’s greatest contribution to the Tchaikovsky [Symphony No. 4] was a sense of structure — crucial to the opening movement, where baleful Fate and the waltzing world chivvied and elbowed each other with a satisfying sense of inevitability. Elsewhere, the Philharmonia’s brilliance and Kreizberg's clockwork showmanship spotlit every brightly painted effect in Tchaikovsky's box."

Geoff Brown, The Times, 26th March 2004

New Jersey Symphony Orchestra — NJ Performing Arts Center

"The composer's [Brahms] four symphonies can stand multiple interpretations, and the NJSO executed Kreizberg's orders well. In one instance of lovely playing, the cello section sang the doleful opening song of the Adagio — one of the symphonic canon's most touching slow movements — with a beautiful, measured unison tone."

Bradley Bamberger, The Star Ledger, 22nd November 2003

Montreal Symphony Orchestra — Place des Arts

"A matter of minutes after Yakov Kreizberg took to the stage of the Salle Wilfrid Pelletier, he served notice that one of the best Montreal Symphony Orchestra performances of the season was under way. A viable candidate for the empty MSO throne, this 44-year-old Russian conducts entirely from memory and with rapier thrusts. It is hard to imagine a style better suited to Leonard Bernstein’s high-octane Candide Overture, which started the concert like a joyride in a Ferrari. After the intermission came the slimmed down 1947 revision of Stravinsky's Petruska. It got a dazzling treatment. There is no doubt that Kreizberg is one of the best conductors on the scene."

Arthur Kaptainis, The Gazette, 16th November 2003

The Philadelphia Orchestra — Verizon Hall

"Dvorak’s Carnival Overture was propelled by animal energy, and quite exciting in its own way. The Ravel Bolero that ended the concert ticked away with the inevitability of a time bomb, the ending assured to get a standing ovation."

Peter Dobrin, The Philadelphia Inquirer, 30th October 2003

Munich Philharmonic - Philharmonie im Gasteig

"All of this [Brahms] was only possible because Yakov Kreizberg succeeded in actually convincing the Philharmonic to cooperate. His conducting is wonderfully clear and was a pleasure to look at during the Nielsen 3rd Symphony; this clarity was reflected in an excellent sound, and in the intense execution of the work’s content. Thus something amazing happened: the piece was harmonious, without neglecting its secrets."

Thomas Willmann, TZ, 5th October 2003

Munich Philharmonic - Philharmonie im Gasteig

"Yakov Kreizberg succeeded in presenting an excellent interpretation of the piece [Nielsen 3] [...] standing ovations for conductor and pianist."

Thomas Vitzthum, Klassik.com, 4th October 2003

Munich Philharmonic - Philharmonie im Gasteig

"Yakov Kreizberg, who was always lively and gripping, and the Philharmonic, who were in the perfect mood, succeeded in presenting a very convincing account of the works, very much in the sense of symphonic cooperation of orchestra and soloist, as imagined and promoted by Brahms [...] huge applause, especially after the Brahms."

Gabriele Luster, Munchner Merkur, 5th October 2003

The Philadelphia Orchestra - Tour of the Americas

"The works performed were Schumann 4th Symphony and Tchaikovsky 6th Symphony. And how Kreizberg made music with those pieces! As part of mainstream repertoire, these works have been subject to numerous interpretations and to add yet something new could seem forced. However Kreizberg, with an incredible command of the music as a whole, used the musical effects of the pieces in such a way that they were presented as if they were the best symphonies ever written for an orchestra. With incredible energy and perfect technical command (the conductor transformed himself into music: there was no difference between the music and the gestures of Kreizberg, they were one and the same thing) and an incomparable charisma, this Russian made the musicians reach a state of an unusual interpretative trance which touched the audience."

Guilherme Mannis, Movimento, 25th May 2003

The Philadelphia Orchestra - Tour of the Americas

"As recently as five years ago, the critics were still calling the Russian-born Yakov Kreizberg a conductor on the way up. Unsurprising news: The 43-year-old musician from St. Petersburg has arrived. And he proved it in his guest conducting appearance with the touring Philadelphia Orchestra in the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts on Saturday night.

[…] Kreizberg led the virtuoso ensemble [...] through a demanding program with thrilling authority, confidence, and insights, giving the observant listener pungent reconsiderations of familiar music.

[...] Precise but not finicky, expansive but not vague, Kreizberg is a conductor in constant control, yet one who holds the reins loosely enough to let the players be assertive.

[…] Without creating an overwrought performance, he coaxed the utmost in intensity from the ensemble in Schumann's mercurial D-minor Symphony. Then he led a genuinely passionate and tragic reading of Tchaikovsky's valedictory work, one that hardly let up except in the consoling second movement. For excitement, astuteness, and the thoroughness of his conducting, one must compare Kreizberg's mastery with that of the often-admired Valery Gergiev."

Daniel Cariaga, Los Angeles Times, 19th May 2003

The Philadelphia Orchestra - Tour of the Americas

"Mr. Kreizberg led a highly energetic performance of Schumann's Symphony No. 4. The opening hit you with a force that almost moved you backwards, and the piece was played for all the drama it was worth from thereon."

Olin Chism, The Dallas Morning News, 15th May 2003

The Philadelphia Orchestra - Tour of the Americas

"The contrast between the muted opening statement of the famous lyric theme of the first movement and the lavish blossoming of string sound in the repeat of the melody was striking and impressive. Kreizberg's ability to build a constantly intensifying momentum through the third and fourth movements was equally outstanding."

Wayne Lee Gay, Star-Telegram, 15th May 2003

The Philadelphia Orchestra - Tour of the Americas

"How great to follow the thread of the theme throughout the orchestra, the conversations between sections, and ebb and flow of dynamics, simply by watching this talented conductor.

[...] Musically Kreizberg is a man of bold gestures, daring tempo fluctuations, of powerful effects […] He knows and loves each note of the score and is able to recapture and relive the emotional vitality of even so oft-played a piece as the Brahms Second Symphony.

[...] Kreizberg is an exciting conductor who conveys emotion and inspires his players."

Eric Nisula, The Midland Daily News, 13th May 2003

London Symphony Orchestra

"[...] it was a feast of sonic thrills and exuberant gestures, tightly controlled by a man confident enough to use no score and sparky enough to generate red-hot playing from the London Symphony Orchestra."

Richard Morrison, The Times, 17th March 2003

Oregon Symphony Orchestra

"It was a glorious experience, fully realized by the players and their guest conductor, Yakov Kreizberg.

[...] Kreizberg is an interpreter of big ideas, communicated in detailed exactness. He has two of the most expressive hands in the business, and he radiated rhythm from the podium. It added up to a kind of poetry of precision, with highly expressive results."

David Stabler, The Oregonian, 3rd March 2003

Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra

"[...] he drew a glorious sound from the CSO forces, in a reading that was both probing and confident as he led without a score.

[...] Kreizberg's sense of scope was admirable, and he balanced dramatic crashes and brass-filled climaxes with more refined subtleties. He led the movement to an inspired climax, and then gently brought the piece to a close."

Janelle Gelfand, The Cincinnati Enquirer, 16th February 2003

Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra

"Yakov Kreizberg is the archetypal magical conductor and music always seems to be composed in order to make him shine.

[...] Yakov Kreizberg knows how to perform this best-known music [Dvorak Symphony No. 9] with a lot of nuances and variations in sounds, and to bring it to another, new level."

Kasper Jansen, NRC, 22nd January 2003

Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra

"The Ninth Symphony [Dvorak] sounded very special; Yakov Kreizberg reigned as a prince. It was with concentration and a crystal clear baton that he led the orchestra through this work. As with everything he conducts, this symphony revealed a majestic character under his baton."

Sandra Kooke, Trouw, 22nd January 2003

Dresden Staatskapelle

"Yakov Kreizberg conducted the Dresden Staatskapelle with superior knowledge, bringing all instrument groups together to form a wonderful sound. The Staatskapelle responded to Yakov Kreizberg's alert and sensitive communication with devotional playing.

[...] Yakov Kreizberg presented the sharpness of the conflicts by means of exciting playing and clarity; despair, hope, irony, grotesque, anger, fury were amazingly reflected in the music."

Gerhard Béhm, Dresdner Neueste Nachrichten, 14th January 2003

Minnesota Orchestra

"In the brilliant symphonic writing of Mozart, the musicians exhibited fine dynamic balance and expressive phrasing under Kreizberg's energetic, nuanced conducting."

George S.T. Chu, St Paul Pioneer Press, 20th September 2002

Minnesota Orchestra

"[Yo Yo] Ma’s attentive partner was Kreizberg, who continues to impress. [...] Kreizberg returned after intermission for Dvorak's Symphony No. 7, a bright, cogent energetic account that featured superlative, alert playing from the orchestra."

Michael Anthony, Star Tribune, 15th September 2002

Minnesota Orchestra

"Conductor Yakov Kreizberg held the final moment and held it, in deep silence, until his arms lowered and we all could breathe again."

Joan Oliver Goldsmith, St Paul Pioneer Press, 12th September 2002

Minnesota Orchestra

"The evening's conductor, the dynamic young Russian Yakov Kreizberg, much appreciated here both by audiences and the musicians of the orchestra, was enthusiastically applauded for his Brahms [Symphony No. 2].

[...] Kreizberg's sensitive pacing was full of delicate touches, the shrewd rubato in the rising phrase for strings, for instance, that leads into the final vocal lines of the last song."

Michael Anthony, Star Tribune, 12th September 2002

Philharmonia Orchestra

"Kreizberg was unafraid to let the brass sound with an urgency that bordered on stridency, and he let them rip in the second movement [Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5] with two chilling climaxes, each the more powerful for the care with which it was prepared."

Barry Millington, Evening Standard, 2nd July 2002

Philharmonia Orchestra

"No matter how often the [Tchaikovsky] Violin Concerto and Fifth Symphony come out sounding like tired old warhorses, there is always room for performances on the level that Yakov Kreizberg and Vadim Repin produced at the Festival Hall."

John Allison, The Times UK, 2nd July 2002

Montreal Symphony Orchestra

"Blessed with a meticulous and expressive baton technique, this Russian maestro led the hour-long opus without a score, making it seem both cinematic and cohesive as a work of art."

Arthur Kapitainis, Gazette, 10th April 2002

Munich Philharmonic

"[...] in the inferno of the Finale, Yakov Kreizberg was in his element. Here he encouraged the orchestra, producing accurate, glowing lines; he let it whistle, rumble, creak - it was a great pleasure."

Tageszeitung, 11th October 2001

Los Angeles Philharmonic

"Yakov Kreizberg, who returned to conduct the Los Angeles Philharmonic on Thursday night, brings many gifts with him to that exalted podium, among them the abilities to galvanize the orchestra, to elicit its interest and rapport, to communicate strong feelings to his listeners. [...] Kreizberg brought freshness, polish and intelligent reconsideration to his conducting of Dvorak’s From the New World Symphony, which closed the program.

He laid out the work compellingly, and the orchestra played with special energy — it was a glorious night for horn-playing, for instance. Dvorak’s Ninth is, of course, a great piece that we hear too often, but this airing was no hardship, just a pleasure.

The rest of this performance emerged ear-grabbing and equally satisfying. [...] But the best part of the evening arrived in the middle, when Gil Shaham, in tight sync and perfect rapport with Kreizberg and the orchestra, played the two Rhapsodies of Bela Bartok. [...] Rightly enough, the Pavilion audience on Thursday responded vociferously to the performance."

Daniel Cariaga, Los Angeles Times, 7th April 2001

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, BBC Proms

"As surely as the Last Night means musical highjinks, the annual visits to the Proms by Yakov Kreizberg and his Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra have come to guarantee uncommonly solid and satisfying music-making.

[...] Mahler to Shostakovich is a logical step, and Kreizberg accomplished it neatly with a dark interpretation of the latter's Fifth Symphony. Conducting from memory, he drew playing of intensity as he built the first movement towards its hell-for-leather climaxes. The Allegretto mixed delicacy with savage irony, and Kreizberg showed impressive control as he had passages in the Largo dangling on a threat of sound."

John Allison, The Times UK, 31st July 2000

BBC Symphony Orchestra

"The politics of the Eleventh [Shostakovich Symphony] are hard to escape, however. Written in 1957, it is subtitled ‘The Year 1905', and depicts the abortive January revolution that year. Kreizberg, swivelling between desolation and ferocity, turns in a performance of such power that the symphony becomes a lament for the destructive forces unleashed by all violent revolutions."

Tim Ashley, The Guardian, 22nd May 2000

BBC Symphony Orchestra

"Yakov Kreizberg's platform manner says it all. He is commandingly tall but genial, ready to congratulate and shake hands with half the orchestra as the applause rolls on. His gestures are expressive, yet economical and precise. The orchestra, the notes of the score, the music's soul: all appear under his total control. No wonder the BBC Symphony orchestra played like angels in this first concert in a Russian-themed pair."

Geoff Brown, The Times UK, 16th May 2000

Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra

"As he proved again this week, when Yakov Kreizberg is on the podium of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the orchestra is in good hands. The 40-year-old Russian-born conductor led the Philharmonic through a program of works by Beethoven, Peteris Vasks, and Shostakovich in the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion on Thursday night and, with strong help from the orchestra, produced convincing and authoritative performances."

Daniel Cariaga, LA Times, 29th January 2000

Montreux Music Festival

"Yakov Kreizberg's interpretation far surpassed that which one could expect from people like Abbado, Gardiner or Karajan [...] Kreizberg - make sure you remember this name - is a genius. The tears of the audience almost covered the murmur of the music during the Adagio of this immense symphony [Bruckner No. 7]. The ovation given to the conductor - more than 15 minutes of wild applause - proved that the Montreux-Vevey audience can recognize an exceptional talent when one is presented to them. Thank you, Mr. Kreizberg."

Daniel Zufferey, La Presse Riviera / Chablais, 11th September 1999

Glyndebourne - Kat'a Kabanova

"Yakov Kreizberg's shattering dramatic reading has the London Philharmonic at full stretch, textures and dynamics finely graded, the rhythmic momentum inexorable yet supple enough to accommodate the many moments of touching and impassioned human utterance. His is great conducting wholly at one with the composer's vision."

David Blewitt, The Stage, 11th June 1998

Glyndebourne - Kat'a Kabanova

"Janacek does not waste a note and neither does Kreizberg; this masterly and comprehensive account of the score sets the seal on a show that represents the Glyndebourne ethos at its best."

Andrew Clements, The Guardian, 28th May 1998

Glyndebourne - Kat'a Kabanova

"The new musical architect of the performance is Yakov Kreizberg, one of the most exciting and theatrically aware of the middle generation conductors. He lets Janacek's lyrical passages flow freely without ever sentimentalising them."

John Higgins, The Times UK, 26th May 1998

Los Angeles Philharmonic

"When the Los Angeles Philharmonic finished its first performance of the symphony [Shostakovich No. 11] Friday night, the audience in the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion leapt to its feet in excitement. It is graphic, visceral music and there was electricity in the way Yakov Kreizberg conducted it."

Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 23rd February 1998

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra - Vienna

"Yakov Kreizberg united the excellent musicians of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra - the result was brilliant precision and a splendidly expressive tone that did not waver even in the triple forte passages. The evening showed no trace of British understatement - the orchestra's rousing enthusiasm and total commitment to giving an intense, fiery performance brought thunderous applause from the audience."

Wiesbadener Kurier, 4th November 1996

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra - Poole

"The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra must have played the Enigma Variations hundreds of times, but I doubt if it has ever played the piece with as much verve or dramatic swagger as it did here for its principal conductor, Yakov Kreizberg [...] what fire! And what spectacularly good playing. Kreizberg, who has one of the most accomplished baton techniques in the business, later waved his magic wand over Shostakovich's portentous Symphony No. 11 to equally graphic effect."

The Times UK, 4th October 1996

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, BBC Proms

"Kreizberg galvanised his players into a performance [of Shostakovich Symphony No. 11] which made one wonder how such a work can receive so few performances."

The Guardian, 26th July 1996

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Tour of Germany and Austria

"Yakov Kreizberg, chief conductor of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, conducted the piece [Shostakovich Symphony No. 11] in an agile, precise manner, paying special attention to the plaintive sadness, the folklore, and the thunderous turmoil of this descriptive music. He conducted as if he had composed the piece himself. It is not every day that one hears, as one did in this concert, apparently simple two-part lines charged so dramatically with tension and excitement, lengthy developments so cleverly structured, or crystal clarity in moments of furore and extreme dynamics. For a momentous hour Kreizberg was able to weave great expression into this bold piece."

Frankfurter Rundschau, 5th May 1996

San Francisco Symphony Orchestra

"Kreizberg conducts with rigorous precision and freely phrased lyricism. His podium manner is a startling ballet of razor-sharp beats and herky-jerky cues that can suddenly melt into a languorous flow when the music turns gentler.

What results is music-making that builds dramatic excitement on a solid underpinning of metric cohesion and unified ensemble playing. In the first movement of the Shostakovich, Kreizberg beautifully encapsulated the music’s various moods, from the sternly oratorical opening to the expansive melodic writing that follows, and he ensured that the movement gathered enough momentum to carry it through the crunching climax.

The rest of the symphony proved equally persuasive. The scherzo was a sardonic, tightly-coiled whirlwind, answered with alluring breadth by the slow movement that followed. Best of all was the finale, with its air of forced triumph. Kreizberg and the orchestra gave the music a full complement of sonic power while at the same time managing to undercut the movement's grandiloquent power."

San Francisco Chronicle, 12th April 1996

BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC Proms

"Split-second dynamic and temporal action is needed [in Shostakovich's Violin Concerto], and few conductors are more eager to provide it than Yakov Kreizberg. [...] The BBC Symphony Orchestra responded with enthusiastic alacrity to the tense, rapid repertoire of his left hand. [...] Kreizberg was true to Bartok's brisker tempo marking as the instruments of the second movement [Concerto for Orchestra] went in two by two, and nicely teasing to Shostakovich in the mocking reference to the Leningrad Symphony's never-ending march in the Intermezzo.

Kreizberg revels in pushing his players as far as he dares in terms of both individual characterisation and in generating deep-seated corporate energy. The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, whose lord and master he will be from September, had better be on its toes."

Hilary Finch, The Times UK, August 1995

Komishe Oper

"This was Yakov Kreizberg's inaugural production as the Komische Oper's music director and already he has made a startling impact on the orchestra's playing."

Hugh Canning, The Sunday Times, 25th September 1994

Komishe Oper

"Under Yakov Kreizberg, the Komische Oper's new music director, the orchestra negotiated the different styles and rhythms with commanding verve."

Andrew Clark, The Financial Times, 23rd September 1994

Komishe Oper

"Yakov Kreizberg gave an acute and responsive reading of a remarkably versatile score [...]"

Della Couling, The Independent, 20th September 1994

Australian Youth Orchestra, BBC Proms

"It was here [Bartok: The Miraculous Mandarin] that one became aware of what a firm and inspiring conductor Yakov Kreizberg was. With youth orchestras, the quality of conducting really does tell, and Kreizberg coaxed some wonderfully sly, sinuous, eerily atmospheric playing from AYO players with the final 'pursuit' section making an electrifying culmination. The cool pathos of Ravel's Pavane pour une infant défunte was quite a change after this, but again there was some fine solo playing [...] and warm, rich string tone. As a finale, Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio Espagnol was pure fireworks - though on this occasion not one of them was dud."

Stephen Johnson, The Independent, 25th July 1994

Australian Youth Orchestra, BBC Proms

"[...] familiar works played by a young orchestra of brilliance, colour, and sensitivity, with a conductor who is becoming one of the hottest properties around."

Geoffrey Norris, The Daily Telegraph, 25th July 1994

English National Opera: Rosenkavalier

"This is a tough, robust Rosenkavalier, rich in comic details and heavy with irony. Conductor Yakov Kreizberg eloquently explores its bursting heart, eliciting world-class playing."

David Gillard, The Daily Mail, 3rd February 1994

English National Opera: Rosenkavalier

"[...] under the very capable, very stylish directorship of Yakov Kreizberg. He knows how to tease and caress a waltz, how to animate and clarify busy texturing beneath the score's silk-shot surface."

Edward Seckerson, The Independent, 2nd February 1994

Los Angeles Philharmonic

"Yakov Kreizberg demonstrated that he, too, is an artist of substance [...] Kreizberg inspired our Philharmonic to suffuse the Dvorak with an uncommon richness of detail."

Los Angeles Village View, 26th August 1993

Los Angeles Philharmonic

"He took nothing for granted. He sustained brio without sacrificing the lilt in the Glinka Overture. He confronted the oozing settlement of the Dvorak Symphony without so much as modernist blush, making the lyrical extravagances gently poetic and the dramatic outbursts almost wildly operatic. It worked."

Los Angeles Times, 19th August 1993

BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC Proms

"The young Leningrad-born conductor, Yakov Kreizberg, met the BBC Symphony Orchestra to extraordinary effect [...] its entire existence rippled with the energy of a young man at the height of his powers."

The Times UK, 5th August 1993