GRANT COMMUNICATIONS

with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra
“A podium charmer” -Chicago Sun-Times

“Prieto’s reading [of Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 6] was ripe with character, hinting at wartime political pressures beneath the jollity. He took the opening movement very slowly (it lasted a full 21 minutes), a searing lament he and the orchestra held together powerfully. Silvestre Revueltas’ score for the 1935 film “Redes”, presented in Erich Kleiber’s concert suite, was part of the CSO’s contribution to the city’s yearlong celebration of the bicentennial of Mexico’s independence and the centennial of the Mexican Revolution. The music suits the film’s realistic depiction of the squalid lives of Mexican fisherman.  Prieto gave it plenty of rhythmic grit.” -Chicago Tribune

“…the dynamic Mexican-born guest conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto was consistently impressive in his CSO subscription series debut.  If the Cello concerto is Shostakovich lite, the Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 6 was too, in its own way.  At just a half-hour, this 1939 work is a murky patchwork that deviates from the two popular symphonies that bookend it. What is to be made of its dawn-out and languorous opening, its quick bombastic middle and chirpy Italianate finale?  Prieto might not have known, either, but by taking these episodes at face value, he more than effectively rolled with the punches. Silvestre Revueltas’ Suite from the film “Redes” earned impassioned, beautifully textured treatment rom conductor and ensemble.” -Chicago Sun-Times

with the Boston Symphony Orchestra
“Mexican conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto, who was making his first Boston Symphony Orchestra appearance…offered the cellist [Yo-Yo Ma] strong and flexible support. …The Lalo [Cello Concerto in d] was the middle course of Prieto’s promising debut.  He led off with four selections from “Iberia,” Isaac Albeniz’s collection of piano pieces, in sumptuous arrangements by violinist and conductor Enrique Fernandez Arbos. The orchestrations clothed Alberniz’s smoldering rhythms in layers of exotic color. …After intermission cam Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances, a three-movement work that is shorter and looser in construction than the composer’s symphonies, yet shares their serious demeanor. Prieto led it with a clear, strong beat and tightly controlled gestures, though he also gave the music breathing space when needed. …Prieto guided the orchestra with a steady sense of its winding architecture, and brought it to an exciting close.”      -The Boston Globe

with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra
“Prieto took over the podium with confidence, shaping rhythmically pointed and gorgeously colored interpretation of two ballet classics:  the second suite from Manuel de Falla’s The Three-Cornered Hat, from 1919, and Igor Stravinsky’s 1947 revision of his 1911 work, Petrouchka.” -Toronto Star

with the Vancouver Symphony
“It was great to see it [Bartok’s Concerto for Orchestra] on the VSO program over the weekend and tonight, and played so well under the hand of a very good conductor, Carlos Miguel Prieto form Mexico.  The concerto revels in orchestral virtuosity and got tons of color, and its difficulties were handled with clarity and precision. I especially enjoyed the intensity of the Elegy movement and the second movement, which was as nimble and dry as a neoclassical Stravinsky ballet.”  -The Vancouver Sun

with the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional (Mexico)
"Carlos Miguel Prieto has demonstrated through his meteoric career that he is an extremely charismatic leader born with a natural musicianship which transmits an immense joy of music making…" -Reforma (Mexico City)

"…his performance of Turangalila was, if not the musical event of the year, certainly the most important…it was bursting with emotion, vitality, energy and enjoyment…" -El Economista (Mexico City)

"…the finest Mexican conductor of his generation…led an extremely rewarding concert of five world premieres which was extremely well received by the public…"  -La Jornada (Mexico City)

"Carlos Miguel Prieto, during the short span of two years has captivated audiences in Mexico City with exceptional performances of a varied and unusually interesting repertoire. He is quickly becoming a cult-like figure with a growing audience, giving music an entirely new twist in Mexico…" -El Economista (Mexico City)

“From the podium, Carlos Miguel Prieto untangled, constructed and guided the Schnittke Concerto with excellent musical sense and a sure ear to balance and clarify the various textures which can prove fiendishly difficult… superb performance.”-Reforma (Mexico City)

"…fine sense of balance, rhythmic drive and passion are the main characteristics of this exciting young conductor…fascinating Prokofiev…" -Novedades (Mexico City)

"…Prieto likes taking musical risks, as a result of which we were able to listen to a virtually unsurpassable version of Metaboles (Dutilleux), and a truly unforgettable version of Bartok's Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta. Equally impressive was his performance of the 1911 version of Petrushka and his beautiful rendering of La Valse, which drew a standing ovation from all those present…Carlos Miguel Prieto left an indelible impression through these ten works distributed between three highly memorable programs." -Claridades Journal (Mexico City)

"Prieto, overflowing with temperament and happiness…led the National Symphony of Mexico in a tour-de-force debut performance…" -Novedades (Mexico City)

"…Prieto likes taking musical risks, as a result of which we were able to listen to a virtually unsurpassable version of Metaboles (Dutilleux), and a truly unforgettable version of Bartok's Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta. Equally impressive was his performance of the 1911 version of Petrushka and his beautiful rendering of La Valse, which drew a standing ovation from all those present…Carlos Miguel Prieto left an indelible impression through these ten works distributed between three highly memorable programs." -Claridades Journal (Mexico City)

with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra
“A packed house roared as the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra kicked off its 2010-11 Classics series last Saturday at the Mahalia Jackson Theater in Armstrong Park. Yes, it was nice to have these hometown champions back after a four-month summer hiatus. …  Most of the highlights came after intermission, when the LPO performed two of the richest works in the repertoire: Respighi's "Fountains of Rome" and "Roman Festivals." At the podium, music director Carlos Miguel Prieto brought these complex orchestral tapestries into sharp focus -- underscoring the evocative, near-visual imagery that sometimes makes them sound like film scores. His timing was perfect as he cued theatrical flourishes that included a small brass choir playing from the back of the hall. Prieto also conjured a translucent, uncluttered sound from the orchestra, framing delightful solos from a host of principals, including flutist Ryan Rice, oboist Jaren Philleo and French horn player Mollie Pate.” -The Times-Picayune

 “…a sell-out crowd cheered cellist Yo-Yo Ma, the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra and the Symphony Chorus of New Orleans. …Ma’s rapport with the orchestra seemed telepathic and for that, credit also goes to Maestro Carlos Miguel Prieto, who conjured a detailed but unfussy performance [ of Schumann’s Cello Concerto] from the LPO. Gently blowing dust from this familiar orchestral vehicle, Prieto made it sound like a piece of chamber music, capturing the sudden mood shifts and neurotic intensity of Schumann’s masterpiece. …But the cellist wasn’t the whole show. The LPO proved its range – and the strength of its principal players – in the first half of the program. …For Leonard Bernstein’s “Chichester Psalms,” a well-drilled Symphony Chorus joined the LPO – and made one wonder  why  this splendidly  clangorous, exotic-sounding  devotional work isn’t performed more often. It’s a killer core, one that showcases Bernstein’s melodic gifts and his passion for he metrical shifts and dissonant harmonies of Stravinsky. To perform it without stumbles is an accomplishment. To perform it, as the LPO and Symphony Chorus did, is another signal of the golden musical age under Prieto.” -The Times-Picayune

“Normally, I’d hesitate to recommend a memorial work, based on biblical texts, for a Saturday-night date. But I was part of the roaring crowd that called back the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto, a well-rehearsed chorus and two splendid soloist for repeated ovations at Thursday’s premiere of Brahm’s “German Requiem” at Loyola University’s Roussel Hall. …Prieto kept a close rein on a performance that ranged from full-throttle fortes supported by Jim Atwood’s timpani to the gentle sound of a wind band – two flutes, two French horns and an oboe –framing a luminous chorus. …Thursday’s concert opened with Alexis Aranda’s “Concert da Vinci” –a work commissioned by Prieto. …Prieto drove his band with ferocious skill, hammering the motor rhythms in up-tempos sections, and cornering tightly in complex counterpoint passages. Bravo.”-The Times-Picayune

with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra
“Prieto's take is one of brisk tempos and artfully crafted phrases. He uses reserved dynamics, unleashing true fortissimo sounds sparingly, with great effect. He and the players translated this view into an impassioned, nuanced performance. They brought out details of the piece's architecture and lovely inner voices and created tantalizingly long crescendos spanning multiple phrases. […]
Prieto and the players gave the piece the same sort of intense, focused reading they brought to the rest of the evening's program to create an exciting performance.” -(Milwaukee) Journal Sentinel

“an exciting performance” -(Milwaukee) Journal Sentinel

“Guest conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto deserves great praise for not only holding this enormously complicated concert together, but for urging playing of great spirit and flair from MSO.” -(Milwaukee) Journal Sentinel

with the Alabama Symphony
“The lanky Prieto shaped Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2 with romantic fervor, cajoling the orchestra with circular baton strokes and long arm reaches. The romance was bountiful, emanating from the whooshes of sound in the opening movement to the melodic breadth of the second. The Adagio is one of the beautiful movements in all of symphonic music, and Prieto fashioned a richly-textured blend, balanced by poignant solos, particularly from clarinetist Kathleen Costello. The finale had cinematic sweep and grandeur…”  -The Birmingham News

with the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra
“When the Honolulu Symphony opted to perform some of the greatest, but less frequently performed German Romantics last night, the task admittedly was not easy.  …For the program, the Honolulu Symphony played Schumann’s “Spring” Symphony, No. 1, last presented many years ago, and the “Good Friday Spell” from Wagner’s “Parsifal,” which left people whispering with astonishment that they had not heard it before. …In the first half, Prieto, an expressive conductor, presented compelling interpretations of both the Wagner and Schumann… Wagner’s “Good Friday Spell” is not an easy first piece: slow and meditative, it is gorgeous, but not rousing as concert openers tend to be. Prieto built Wagner’s brass choir “walls of sound,” held to the work’s broad pacing, and, by not allowing the music to rush, captured Wagner’s slow but inexorable build toward climaxes.  Schumann’s Symphony No. 1, nicknamed by Schumann himself as the “Spring” symphony, is held together less by themes than by harmonic structures and is peopled with the same kind of vivid musical characters as in his piano cycles. Prieto and the orchestra brought these characters to life… …It was an excellent concert…” -Honolulu Advertiser

with the Phoenix Symphony
 “Visiting conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto brought out all the inherent exoticism of this beautiful and romantic score [Bartok’s Concerto for Orchestra], and every rubato or crescendo breathed as naturally as day and night.”
-Arizona Republic

with the Houston Symphony Orchestra
“Prieto and the orchestra offered vigorous, insightful music-making right up to the end.” -Houston Chronicle

“Prieto… enjoyed himself immensely… yet he didn’t treat the concert as a throw-away pops event. He opened with a fairly tough-sounding Sensemayá by Mexican Silvestre Revueltas, offered the charming orchestral Intermezzo from the zarzuela La Boda de Luis Alonso… by Spaniard Jerónimo Giménez and included the familiar Huapango by José Pablo Moncayo. Crucially, too, Prieto insisted that all the orchestra work, including the accompanists, be played crisply and intensely.” -Houston Chronicle

“Prieto surrounded the Kachaturian with music of charm, then great seriousness… Prieto stressed the lilt and lightness of the music… He firmly held the orchestra in check in the signature Rossini crescendos… Together, Prieto and the musicians made a device that can seem so hackneyed irresistibly charming.”  -Houston Chronicle

“Mexican conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto likes to challenge audiences. He avoids the appetizerlike overtures that have become the clichéd start of orchestral programs. Instead he opts for something more substantial…. The performance of Mozart’s Symphony No. 36 immediately drew the audience into music-making that was serious yet enchanting, engrossing yet delightfully varied.” -Houston Chronicle

“Hot! Hot! Hot! Shall we dare call the Houston Symphony sexy? The ladies in the audience at Miller Outdoor Theatre were fanning themselves with their programs, and it wasn't because of the temperature outside. Carlos Miguel Prieto of Mexico City recently conducted the Houston Symphony at Miller…. The audience was spellbound and riveted by Prieto's youthful strength and Quint's passionate performance.” -ArtsHouston

"Carlos Miguel Prieto's work was impeccable…I sincerely hope to have another chance to witness the evening's combination of a great orchestra (Houston Symphony), excellent conductor, interesting programming and an enthusiastic audience which knew how to appreciate this superb concert….
[CMP]'s brief explanations were precise and illuminating…"  -SEMANA (Houston)

with the San Antonio Symphony
“One unjustly neglected treasure after another, from four famous composers, received convincing performances from the San Antonio Symphony on Friday night. The social realism in a film score by Silvestre Revueltas, "Redes," and the over mechanism of 1920s life in a powerful ballet suite by Carlos Chávez, "Horse Power," framed the program. In between, violin star Urioste lovingly explored the open emotions in Alexander Glazunov's charming Violin Concerto. The evening's highlight came from the expressive, soaring themes in Samuel Barber's Symphony No. 1 in One Movement, brought out beautifully by Mexican guest conductor Prieto.” -San Antonio Express News
 
"Prieto's affection for Danzon No. 2 by Arturo Marquez was clearly transmitted to his responsive orchestra…his performance left the audience dancing in their seats…" -San Antonio Express News

with the Mexico City Philharmonic
"…it was an opportunity to see, or rather hear, how well the Mexico City Philharmonic is playing and above all to watch the magnificent performance of Carlos Miguel Prieto, who lent life, strength and rhythmical intensity to this score (Turangalila), regarded as one of the most difficult of the modern symphonic repertoire."-Uno más Uno (Mexico City)

“Prieto captured the aim of each work and conducted an attentive, eloquent Philharmonic.” -Reforma (Mexico City)

with the Xalapa Symphony Orchestra (Mexico)
"…from the podium, Carlos Miguel Prieto made the Xalapa Symphony sound like this critic has seldom heard. Motivating, serene and commanding total attention and respect from the musicians, this young conductor is bound to rise to great heights…" -Diario de Xalapa (Xalapa, Mexico)

with the Naples Philharmonic
“For much of the evening at the Philharmonic on Thursday night, the audience needed seat belts.  So did the performers.  The music was either emphatically targeted or at a flat-out gallop for performances of the Saint-Saens Cello Concerto and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7. Which would the conductor lavish more rehearsal time on here – the concerto often crowned as the best ever written for the cello? Or Beethoven’s rapturous, near-frenetic favoirite?  The answer – both – came from guest conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto’s fervor on the podium. He dug into the two works with the zeal of a kid on Christmas morning, jabbing and scooping, lunging toward the orchestra in an imposing physical style. Prieto is a former student of Naples Philharmonic Music Director Jorge Mester and even serves in one of Mester’s former posts as music director for the Orquestra Nacional de Mexico. But he has his own special intimacy with strings as a violinist and a father who is a cello star. That was obvious in the younger Prieto’s handling of the Saint-Saens concerto, with the amazingly skilled David Requiro as guest artists. The concerto is a swift, thorny piece, with orchestra forays, like sprays of seasoning, throuwn into tight spots between melody lines. There’s an orchestral interlude that must be reprised behind the cello without overpowering it.  The delicate balance was never violated with the baton in Prieto’s hand.”        
-Neapolitan Naples Daily News (FL)

with the Huntsville Symphony
“… Saturday evening’s program by the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra delivered a delightful finish to the first day of spring, marking the awakening of nature and the magic of music in powerful combination. ... Appropriately so, the program began with Debussy’s “Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun.” From the first entrancing notes of the solo flute (played with silky tone by flutist Evelyn Loehrlein), the orchestra managed a rich variety of timbral effects from harp glissandi to muted horn in conveying Debussy’s delicate dreamscape. … Making the full transition from winter to summer, Prieto and the HSO’s spring celebration concluded with an intoxicatingly red-hot rendition of Ravel’s “Bolero.” With relentlessly accurate snare drumming from Terry Cornett, the famous melody and its 18 variations showcased a bevy of soloists before opening to full-out orchestral revelry. Maestro Prieto turned in a nearly 16-minute-long performance of a usually 14- to 15-minute work marked by rhythmic and dynamic restraint enabling an effective and disciplined layering of sonic energy. “Bolero” was both beautiful and alive – a fitting end to the first day of spring which shares its description.”  
-The Huntsville Times

with the Pacific Symphony
“…an exciting young Mexican conductor… …His conducting is vigorous, direct and insightful…”
-Orange County Register (CA)

with the Monterey Symphony
Slim, energetic, dynamic and enthusiastic are words that come to mind to describe conductor Prieto. His supremely confident approach to the major works on the evening's program elicited top-notch performances from the symphony players.
… The concert ended with a full-blooded performance of Schumann's Fourth Symphony. In this wonderfully romantic work, Prieto went into overdrive and got 110 percent out of the score.” -The Californian (CA)

with the Youth Orchestra of the Americas (Knowlton Festival, Knowlton, Quebec, Canada)
“On the strength of the Knowlton concert, Prieto seems an ideal leader. He's young, personable, and has two professional orchestras of his own in Mexico City and New Orleans. He got the evening off to a rousing start with a virtuoso piece by Canadian composer John Estacio. Fast tempi and tricky rhythms held no terror for this band and Bootlegger’s Tarantella was a great success. […]
… This was totally committed and joyous music-making.” -La Scena Musicale

with the Philharmonia of the Nations (at the Royal Concertgebouw)
 “Carlos Miguel Prieto, who is gradually becoming a well-established name at the Concertgebouw, gave an intense and inspired performance [of Schumann’s Symphony No. 4] with the Netherlands Symphony Orchestra earlier this month…. Prieto, possessed of a well-developed and sophisticated musical instinct, elicited very fine playing from the musicians of the Philharmonia of the Nations, a group of extremely talented young musicians. The performance was one in which the romantic spirit of Schumann was present at all times.” -Noordhollands Dagblad