Sundsvalls Tidning 25/09/2021
"Conductor Damian Iorio created beautiful contrasts in both dynamics and atmosphere, and produced exceptionally sharp and detailed interplay in the orchestra."
"Damian Iorio produces intense music from the orchestra ... We also want to hear more from him." Susanne Holmlund
Arcana.fm 30/03/2020 : CD Orchestra della Svizzera italiana & Damian Iorio – Malipiero: Symphony no.6, Serenata mattutina etc (Naxos)
…The performances here could hardly be bettered, with Damian Iorio securing playing of real precision and impetus from his Swiss Italian musicians. Richard Whitehouse - Review
Crescendo Magazine 23/03/2020 : Malipiero : l’outsider ?
Le chef d’orchestre Damian Iorio poursuit avec brio cette exploration avec ce volume dédié à des oeuvres de Malipiero dont deux sont proposées en première mondiale ! …Tout au long de cet album, l’Orchestre de la Suisse italienne est concentré et affuté sous la baguette narrative et compétente de Damian Ioro. Pierre Jean Tribot - Article
Son : 10 Livret : 10 Répertoire : 9 Interprétation : 10
David's Review Corner Naxos February 2020: CD Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana & Damian Iorio – Malipiero
Here we have an orchestra that are outstanding champions of the composer and convincingly conducted by the British/Italian, Damian Iorio; the Swiss recording is excellent, and I hope a Malipiero symphony cycle follows. David Denton
Volkskrant 1/07/2019: Noord Nederlands Orkest o.l.v. Damian Iorio - Festival CityProms.
…Hoogtepunt van de zonnige openingsavond is het optreden van het Noord Nederlands Orkest & Damian Iorio en celliste ene Irene Kok. … In de buitenlucht, tegen de zon in turend, verloopt haar spel niet vlekkeloos maar samen met de ervaren dirigent Damian Iorio krijgt het stuk een waardige uitvoering. Biëlla Luttmer - Artikel
Dagblad van het Noorden 8/01/2019 : Nieuwjaarsconcert Noord Nederlands Orkest o.l.v. Damian Iorio
Programma: Händel, Rossini, Donizetti, Nielsen, Délibes, Abreu, Verdi, Strauss, Bernstein
…van een ouverture van Rossini tot een bekend Latijns- Amerikaans nummer dat Tico Tico heet en met zijn jazzy koperriffjes naadlos aansloot op balletmuziek uit Verdi’s Macbeth. Bij dat alles liet gastdirigent Damian Lorio het orkest goed energiek en vaak ook fijn afgewerkt spelen. Paul Herruer
Mundoclasico.com 7/03/2017
"Damian Iorio directed to this same orchestra four years ago in an excellent performance of the ninth symphony by Shostakovich. In the second part of the concert we are now reviewing, he directed two works: The Fountains of Rome, P. 106 by Ottorino Respighi, and In the South (Alassio), op. 50 by Edward Elgar. The versions of Iorio were at times delicate and at other times, vigorous and brilliant. If we had to highlight some feature that distinguishes the British conductor from other excellent young conductors that we have heard in recent months in this same auditorium it is the extraordinary transparency that he obtained from the Symphony Orchestra of Castilla y León". - José del Rincón - Full article
Codalario.com 15/01/2017
"With "In the South" (Alassio), op. 50 of Elgar, Damian Iorio clearly brought out its colours and timbres which favoured the contrasts to give an always refined sound. The order that Iorio establishes in the orchestra does not give an impression of something tight, but infuses an expressive freedom that conveys a feeling of permanent vitality.- Agustín Achúcarro - Full article
El Norte de Castilla 14/01/2017
...Damian Iorio proved to be a great conductor. Flexible and gifted to convey the best of the works. - Emeliano Allende
Västerbottens Kuriren 9/10/2016: Norrlandsoperan (Umeå): Weill/Brecht - The City of Mahagonny
…The conductor Damian Iorio led the singers, chorus and orchestra with an exemplary stick technique, bringing everyone to perform at the highest level. The conductor brought out the dramatic structure and minimised the score's flaws, getting the musical language to really contrast in all three acts. Iorio clearly knows the score in detail and conducted with a contagious spirit that everyone greatly enjoyed. - Bengt Hultman
Västerbottens Kuriren 9/09/2016
...Damian Iorio developed Sibelius's second symphony, clarifying pastoral ideas in the first movement, bringing out the energy in the scherzo, intertwining ideas and enabling the orchestra to achieve results in the early movements before ending in a finale that brought a powerful, mighty triumph. Every challenge was overcome. Glinka's Overture to the opera Ruslan and Lyudmila provided a grand start to tonight's great concert. - Bengt Hultman
The arts desk.com 14/03/016: Damian Iorio & Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool
A double dose of Einaudi may not be the best programming idea. A world premiere in the first half and then a UK premiere in the second part of the concert was, perhaps, overegging the musical recipe. But add to that some Respighi and some Bernstein, with conductor Damian Iorio in charge, and things turned out not so bad after all...
So, what else did the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and Iorio produce? A stunning performance of Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story as well as a seriously competent interpretation of Respighi’s Church Windows. The latter was exciting, dramatic, thoughtful and introspective. It’s hard to think of all those adjectives imposed onto one performance but this was it. Iorio coaxed a great deal out of the RLPO and it worked. This was a stunning performance, too, of the Bernstein Symphonic Dances. Here was the RLPO in real party mood, making a huge sound, really letting their collective hair down and having a great time. A stunning end to what was, really, not the best programme we’ve heard on Hope Street.- Glyn Môn Hughes - Full article
Northwestend.co.uk 10/03/2016: Mesmerising and Beautiful
…there was more to this evening as guest conductor Damian Iorio brought his operatic flair to two other pieces, both specially chosen to complement the main performance, along with the UK Premiere of Einaudi's 'Wetlands',
Einaudi's Wetlands,- … As Iorio and the orchestra took another well-deserved ovation, Iorio directed his hands towards us and there was Einaudi in the audience enjoying the UK premiere of this delightful and thought-provoking piece.
Bernstein's Symphonic Dances from West Side Story - …From finger clicking playfulness to booming anger to vibrant hope, the orchestra skipped their way through these pieces with a freedom and delight evident in their playing. Conductors are known for their animation but Iorio took it to another level as he danced in leading the orchestra through the nine pieces. Such was the power of this performance, you knew most audience members, myself included, were taken back to that time and place as the events captured by the music unfolded, and it was a fitting end to a wonderful evening.- Mark Davoren - Full article
Etelä-Suomen Sanomat 20/9/2014: Convincing debut
…Conductor Damian Iorio was a pleasant acquaintance. Although his moves have temperament and artistic sensitivity, he doesn’t resort to theatrical or physical exhortation. And his musicians respond to him. The end result are clear contours without any frailty, and a mutual interaction without any tonal nclarity. - Jari Pitkänen
Corriere del Ticino 24/03/2014: Orchestra delaa Svizzera Italiano in top form, skillfully conducted by Damian Iorio
“Both the orchestra and the conductor Damian Iorio were excellent in Mozart’s Ouverture of La Clemenza di Tito and in Symphony no. 38 in D major K504. Iorio’s conducting was precise and appropriate but never conventional, and his performance was distinguished by its intensity. - Alberto Cima
The Guardian 21/11/2013 : I Pomeriggi Musicali’s fine live performances are scrupulously conducted by Damian Iorio
Part of Naxos's 20th-century Italian classics series, this presents us with a pair of radically different mid-century triple concertos, though both, inevitably perhaps, glance back to Beethoven's famous prototype. Casella's concerto, dating from 1933, is usually described as neo-classical, though his quintessential synthesis of Mahler, Stravinsky and Italian baroque makes it utterly distinctive and compelling. Ghedini's austere 1945 Concerto dell'albatro (Concerto of the Albatross) is more experimental: the trio of soloists is joined by an actor reading the passage dealing with Ishmael's mystic encounter with the God-like albatross from Melville's Moby Dick. I Pomeriggi Musicali's fine live performances are scrupulously conducted by Damian Iorio. Violinist Paolo Ghidoni and cellist Pietro Bosna adopt a lyrical approach, in contrast to the more overtly virtuosic playing from pianist Emanuela Piemonti. Carlo Doglioni Majer is the authoritative, if echoey speaker in the Ghedini. - Tim Ashley
GrenzEcho 1/07/2013: Scharfe Rhythmik ließ finnischen Nebel früh aufsteigen
…der britische Dirigent mit italienischen Wurzeln führte in der zweiten Sinfonie von Jean Sibelius nicht nur die mäandernden Stimmen in klarer Linienführung ihrem Ziel entgegen, sondern holte aus diesem klangprächtigen und durchweg viel gespielten Werk das Äußerste an instrumentalen Farben heraus. Im Opus 43 des Finnen verstand er es vortrefflich, das effektvolle Kolorit zum Klingen zu bringen - jedoch nie auf Kosten der fein gesponnenen Struktur. Der Dirigent ließ die Rhythmen scharf zeichnen, wählte damit einen Zugang, der im Gegensatz zu manch anderen Sibelius-Deutungen steht, bei denen gerade das rhythmische Element mitunter allzu weich gezeichnet erscheint und der finnische „Nebel“ einfach nicht aufsteigen will. Freilich vergaß Damian Iorio bei aller Betonung klarer Rhythmik das Melos nicht. Im Gegenteil: Hier durften sich die Melodien weit aussingen, unterstützt von recht freier Tempogestaltung, die dem Spannungsbogen der melodischen Linie flexibel nachgab.
Carl Nielsen - Ouvertüre : …Damian Iorio spannte hier die harmonischen Kräfte wie eine Steinschleuder, um - stetig das Tempo anziehend (so wie es notiert ist) - in ein kraftvolles Allegro zu münden, das die gestaute Energie freilässt. …Der Dirigent schaffte es vorbildlich, auch über das lyrische Seitenthema jene Spannung zu legen, die sich erst später voll entlädt, um danach sachte, Schritt für Schritt, wieder abgebaut zu werden und zum Schluss in der anfänglichen Dunkelheit zu verlöschen. (nemo)
El Norte De Castilla 19/01/2013: Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León infected by the romance of Maisky and the energy of Damian Iorio
…The other attractive addition of the concert was the conductor Damian Iorio ..... He immediately showed his personality with the vital impulse needed to get an excellent performance of the Overture to 'Ruslan and Lyudmila' by Glinka. ....... Then he attacked Shostakovich's Ninth Symphony showing his knowledge and decisiveness, a work that despite its short length maintains the identity of a composer who lived a constant struggle with political power. The changes of tempo, rhythmic pulse and sonic contrasts were well exposed under him by the soloists and all sections of the orchestra. - Emiliano Allende
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