“Guerrero — the music director of the Nashville Symphony and a grinning presence with expressive fingers and a shiny suit — led a subtly energetic performance, bringing out both the delicacy and the darkness in the third movement and the Schubertian wistfulness in the fourth.”

“You will not find a livelier, more volcanic conversationalist than Guerrero in classical music, and certainly not a more ferocious advocate for music education.”

“On Thursday, guest conductor Giancarlo Guerrero led an organically shaped and viscerally powerful reading of the score, one that fused the work’s disparate gestures toward jazz, Broadway, Jewish liturgy, and the 20th-century avant-garde into a single forceful whole.”

“It’s an administrator’s nightmare: the grand opening of a concert season, and no conductor…Thursday night’s subscription season opener was saved by Giancarlo Guerrero, a five-time Grammy winner whose charismatic conducting and attention to detail brought to life the Mahler “Resurrection” Symphony in a performance that drew sustained cheers from the audience…Vigorously cuing the orchestra with incisive and emphatic gestures, Guerrero left no doubt about the depth of his acquaintance with the Mahler. He commanded great intensity (and often great volume) from the orchestra, particularly in the apocalyptic first movement, but was equally adept in creating an atmosphere of gentle warmth in the second and encouraging jaunty woodwind passages in the third. Tricky tempo changes, offstage ensembles and precise entrances all were managed so smoothly that it was hard to believe the conductor and the players had only just met.”

“Beneath the visual podium emoting, there was a clean, baton-less technique, and the orchestra responded with a neat precision that it hasn’t consistently demonstrated under this season’s string of guest conductors. Guerrero also has clearly latched onto the acoustic possibilities of Meyerson Symphony Center: it’s an excellent room for orchestral music, but guest conductors have to quickly adapt to the particular characteristics involved. Guerrero did just that, exploring tone qualities and achieving an ideal balance at all times.”

“Guerrero drew playing of crackling energy. The brass sounded with power and precision in the symphony’s jazzy sections, while strings glowed in shades of light and darkness.”

“Guerrero, music director of the Nashville Symphony, is a pillar of the Cleveland Orchestra family, a relative rarely far removed and always welcome…But it was the Finale, predictably, that shone brightest. Between its adept handling of Guerrero’s bold tempo and a striking level of dynamic contrast, the orchestra had a guaranteed winner on its hands, and succeeded once again in sending listeners home with much for which to be thankful.”

“Guerrero led a performance of theatrical grandeur, with sensitive playing from all sections of the orchestra, from the opening brass fanfares to the blazing conclusion.”

“Guerrero guides his ensemble through a performance in which both details and arching statements are set forth to resplendent effect.”

“Possessed of a no less intense seriousness (leavened by disarming flashes of humor), Maestro Guerrero, whose manner on the podium is at once authoritative and at the same time warmly collaborative, seems to be at home in a wide range of styles. When the music wants to dance, he dances with it, though never overdoing body language to the point of distraction.”

“Giancarlo Guerrero [is] a conductor unafraid to make a splash, yet with a keen instinct for dynamic contrasts and an excellent ear for internal textures.”

“The Nicaraguan-born conductor was a charismatic presence on the podium all evening, yet every gesture was musical. All of these are qualities that the CSO’s search committee will be considering in the search for a music director to succeed the outgoing Louis Langrée…Guerrero led with momentum and flair in this vivid and dramatic performance, and the musicians responded with precise and exciting playing.”