"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."

“Starting with an ambitious tempo, that the strings took up with gusto, conductor Fabien Gabel explored the limits of how the music could surprise the audience, with the unexpected accents and remarkably precise attacks standing as a testament to the grand concentration of the instrumentalists.”

"Pressing his weight into the podium and closing his eyes with feeling, conductor Fabien Gabel looked to be waiting for this last piece. After cutting a fast tempo in the Bernstein (it was exciting, no doubt about it) and expertly supporting Currie as he traversed Corigliano’s formidable but beautiful concerto, Gabel stepped into his own spotlight. He is an unambiguous conductor, his gestures straightforward and to the point, but he rocked on his toes as the strings and winds rolled up and down melodies, and he stretched from toe to fingertip when the brass punched through the haze brightly. When the last note faded away, he smiled widely, as if to celebrate captaining the program’s successful voyage into the mist – and back out."

“Gabel chose to program music from Bernstein’s early-career ballet Fancy Free [for Bernstein’s centenary]… which Gabel and the Milwaukee players delivered with just the right dash of panache. Throughout the MSO’s cracking performance the conductor bounced and bobbed on the podium – a visual that was completely in keeping with the music…

Gabel chose to conduct [the Schmitt] without his customary baton, conjuring up the brooding, unsettled emotions to masterful effect while bringing forth the rich orchestral colors for which this composer is so justly famous…

Unlike some overly “symphonic” interpretations I’ve heard of [La Valse], Gabel’s approach emphasized the underlying rhythmic pulse while avoiding extreme or jarring variations in tempo that can make this music sound too episodic. The result was a very special performance that maintained the music’s forward propulsion even as it ushered the audience through a wide range of emotions…Magnifique!”

"Gabel managed to infuse the sound with a sense of human empathy with the highs and lows in the score....[he] managed to play the orchestra as one unit in a tight grip that he animated and enthused with a clear Gallic passion."

"Gabel conjured up a musical vision that was gripping in its intensity...and the Clevelanders provided wonderfully balanced musical support, in a performance that had everything coming together just right...it was a highly satisfying evening of music-making by one of America’s great orchestras under the baton of a conductor who is a tireless – and welcome – ambassador for the music of his native country."

"Maestro Gabel was graceful and elegant on the podium as he coaxed silky sounds from the strings and woodwind players...Gabel’s well-chosen program of orchestral showpieces – several of them true rarities – proved how impressive the OSQ can sound when playing music as inventive and inspired as this. It was a very special concert of some equally special music.