The Guardian“[Fabien] Gabel’s interpretation can only be described as awesome, and was characterised by a powerful, sweeping nobility, the opening motto magnificently brooding, the first movement’s allegro flung out with almost reckless defiance. The central allegretto, rolling slow movement and scherzo into one, relaxed into eloquent lyricism before the finale, recapitulating everything that had gone before, blazed with triumphant conviction. The BBCSO were at their best here, and there was some terrific playing, the great cor anglais solo in the allegretto above all…Gabel’s interpretation was all exhilaration and refinement, with gloriously tumultuous brass, a rich warmth and depth in the strings, and yet again some notably beautiful instrumental solos – cello and clarinet this time.”
Bachtrack“Conductor Gabel and the OSQ musicians did true justice to Schmitt’s score, one of the most notable of the large-scale creations of this master orchestrator. Stentorian brass and resplendent colors from the woodwinds combined with ever-busy strings and a whole raft of percussion arrayed across the right side of the stage, coming together in an über-impressive phalanx of sound that underscored yet again how unique and noteworthy this 1904 score was at the time of its creation – and remains today.”
Le Soleil“Fabien Gabel knows how to delicately reveal all the shimmers in this type of score.”
Seen and Heard International“Conductor Fabien Gabel returned to the Blossom Festival with a program similarly sculpted to his trademark French repertory. He certainly displayed his assurance and flair with these works, making sure that the dark shadows and brittle humor of the Alborado…were as viscerally compelling as they were entertaining.
Part of what was so effective in the Ravel and de Falla works was Gabel’s attention to crisp shaping and punching out of important details. Likewise, this approach kept the soft-grained orchestration of Saint-Saëns’ Violin Concerto No.3 energized and aerated.
The concert was a highly successful return to the Cleveland Orchestra for Fabien Gabel.”
Texas Classical Review“Gabel and the orchestra spun it out in silky, caressing phrases—a seductive counterbalance to the Straussian heroics.
Gabel and the orchestra were simpatico partners with Gomyo all the way. The orchestra’s transparency enabled her to whisper without being drowned out, and Gabel kept the group in sync with her free-spirited pacing.”
San Diego Union-Tribune“The orchestra sparkled in these variations, led by Gabel with pronounced baton work in his right arm and florid sculpting with his left.”
Earrelevant“As led by Gabel, the Houston Symphony had countless moments of inspired playing. The strings moved as one in the rhythmic sections of the first movement, and the cello section presented several lyrical and tonally beautiful themes. Flute and French horn offered exceptional solos. Precise and sonorous bass pizzicatos provided a solid bass line.
Gabel provided an excellent, attentive, and well-balanced accompaniment. The combination of soloist and orchestra electrified the Jones Hall stage with crackling energy alternating with tender lyricism. Rarely are both parts of a concerto so unified.”
Fabien Gabel is Music Director of the Tonkünstler-Orchester Niederösterreich, leading concerts across the orchestra’s homes in Vienna’s Musikverein, St. Pölten, and Grafenegg. He has established an international career of the highest caliber, appearing with orchestras such as Orchestre de Paris, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic, The Cleveland Orchestra, NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, Seoul Philharmonic and Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. Praised for his imaginative programs, Gabel crafts eclectic combinations of beloved masterworks and lesser-known gems of the repertoire.
The 2025/2026 season is marked by important collaborations: Gabel debuts at the Metropolitan Opera with Carmen; leads a five-city tour of Spain with Yuja Wang and Mahler Chamber Orchestra; and conducts premiere performances of Samy Moussa’s Concerto for Flute and Orchestra (Emmanuel Pahud) with Orchestre National de France and Detroit Symphony, as well as Donghoon Shin’s viola concerto Threadsuns with Minnesota Orchestra and Tonkünstler-Orchester.
Additional highlights include returns to the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia, Stavanger Symphony, Toronto Symphony, BBC Symphony Orchestra, and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg. He also makes his South American debut with the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra (OSESP) and debuts at the Tongyeong International Music Festival, and with Sydney Symphony Orchestra.
In France, Gabel works regularly with all major Parisian orchestras and made a highly acclaimed debut at the Opéra national de Paris during the 2022/2023 season. He recently led the recording of a new score for Abel Gance’s 1927 epic film Napoléon with the Orchestre National de France and Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France. The first part of the film was presented at the 2024 Festival de Cannes and shown in theatres, on French television, and Netflix.
Gabel performs with many of the world’s leading soloists, including Emanuel Ax, Yefim Bronfman, Rudolf Buchbinder, Bertrand Chamayou, Seong-Jin Cho, Yunchan Lim, Francesco Piemontesi, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Daniil Trifonov, Augustin Hadelich, Vilde Frang, Daniel Lozakovich, Christian Tetzlaff, Gautier Capuçon, Daniel Müller-Schott, Johannes Moser, Håkan Hardenberger, and Emmanuel Pahud. His collaborations with singers include Benjamin Bernheim, Nicole Car, Asmik Grigorian, Nikola Hillebrand, Petra Lang, Isabel Leonard, Lisette Oropesa, Michael Schade, Golda Schultz, and Michael Spyres.
Having attracted international attention in 2004 as the winner of the Donatella Flick conducting competition, Fabien Gabel was Assistant Conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra 2004-2006. He was Music Director of Orchestre symphonique de Québec 2012-2021 and Orchestre Français des Jeunes 2017-2021.
Born in Paris to a family of accomplished musicians, Fabien Gabel began playing the trumpet at the age of six and honed his skills at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris, and at the Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe with Reinhold Friedrich. He played with various Parisian orchestras under prominent conductors such as Pierre Boulez, Sir Colin Davis, Riccardo Muti, Seiji Ozawa, Simon Rattle and Bernard Haitink before embarking on his conducting career. Gabel was named ‘Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres’ by the French government in January 2020.
AUGUST 2025
