"Mozart's very last symphony, No. 41 in C major... Daniel Boico re-illuminated the joyous spectacle that Mozart surely meant it to be. Boico conducts with great wit and verve. He brought out multiple little motifs that musicians play in the middle of textures or as echoes of louder themes. The final movement was a great triumph, a wondrous marriage of intellectual and emotional radiance: as the musicians passed the themes around, it almost felt as if one could almost see the structure of the music, as if interlocking geometric shapes were rising out of the stage. An irrepressible wave of elation washed over the audience at the close, who rose to meet it with a warm ovation."

Daily Maverick (August 12, 2024)

Jared Beukes 

“…Starting with Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio Espagnol, an exuberant suite based on Spanish folk melodies, Boico and the JPO seemed to set the very air in the hall alight with dance. Boico usually conducts with flair and verve, and this was a glittering instance of those gifts. His fluttering hand movements and the violins’ delightful plucking/bowing alternations were just as much fun to watch as the music was invigorating to listen to… After an interval, Boico gave a few more twists in the musical kaleidoscope, as he led a warm and gentle rendition of Debussy’s Petite Suite, and then a rip-roaring version of Mussorgsky’s Night on Bald Mountain. The programme was brought to a close with Liszt’s evergreen symphonic poem Les préludes, which served as a warming reminder of why we choose to attend live concerts at all. The trombones rendered the fortifying heroic theme so muscularly, and the French horns delivered so winsome a responding love theme, that I found myself grinning throughout the performance like a besotted fool, so won over by the music’s romance that I forgot where I was.”

Daily Maverick (September 19, 2022)

Jared Beukes

"...Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony was conducted by Daniel Boico, and another rousing energy from America. And what he roused will stay with me for a very long time hence. I could fill out the next few paragraphs listing the many virtues of the performance, but I will limit my report to three important ones: deliberateness, precision, and a blazing big sound… Boico began the piece very, very slowly – ponderously slowly. Tchaikovsky has given the tempo indication Andante, which means the pace of a moderate walk. Boico gave the pace of a glacial funeral march, a submission to cold Russian fate that seemed to slip out of time. As the slow introduction ended and he arrived at Tchaikovsky’s Allegro con anima (lively and with spirit), even that continued at a rather measured pace. Instead of skipping along, as the melody usually does, it strode, underpinned by a booming descending bassline in the trombones and tuba. And each phrase – each bar – was executed with stunning precision and alignment throughout the whole ensemble. Strings, woodwinds, and brass articulated in sympathy with each other, and drove one another to greater intensity.

The effect of these deliberate tempi and clear precision was to bring out many of the felicitous musical ideas that Tchaikovsky has filled his music with, that can get lost in other performances. I heard enchanting countermelodies in the clarinet, enthusiastic contributions by the tuba, even loud rumbles in the horns and timpani, and bright punches in the trumpets, that had never rung out to me so clearly. Tchaikovsky’s score seemed even richer than before – which is a great feat when playing music already so well known and well loved. And the greatest pleasure was the immense sound with which it rang out; the orchestra filled the entire Linder Auditorium with sound, and then pushed even further and seemed to fill the entire city. I sat in the very back row in the very top level of the hall – as far away as one can be from the stage – and the trumpets sounded as if they were playing right in my ears. By the end of the evening (also met with a resounding roar from the audience), nothing in the world sounded as if it could stop the irresistible forces of the JPO brass and their triumph in E major."

 The Back Row (June 18, 2022)

Jared Beukes

"...The matching power and brawny sonority that Boico elicited from the whole orchestra in the following piece, Sibelius's resonantly plaintive second symphony...The concentrated energy that Boico brought to the entire proceedings, which made for the most rousing concert of the season.

Artslink.co.za (March 15, 2019)

Jared Beukes

"Daniel Boico, the KZN Philharmonic's Associate Guest Conductor, brought the 2018 World Symphony Series to a close on a resounding high. With telling impact, he turned the conventional order of his programme on its head. Opening with a superbly paced account of Mendelssohn's seamlessly elided four-movement Scottish Symphony, the Israeli-American maestro drew from his players a fine-spun performance that immediately eased the house into the heart of this arresting work, its quietly measured operning Andante con moto stealthily advancing into the swirling motion of the Allegro that carries the first movement's inexorable current forth, here dispatched with a sense of inevitability that speaks of interpretive integrity.

The work's second movement Vivace non troppo sparkled with an endemic life force, giving way to the deep tenderness of Mendelssohn's wonderful third movement Adagio, which glowed with a sense of humanity that hung in the air. The opening rigour of the fourth movement's Allegro Vivacissimo felt perfectly judged, as did the chorale-like finale that sang out exultantly to crown this grand work. Testimony to the accord that clearly exists between this conductor and orchestra, for which the audience showed unanimous gratitude...A remarkable triumph to end the season. 

Copy Dog (November 23, 2018)

William Charlton-Perkins

"Resounding Borodin...The KZN Philharmonic’s past several symphony seasons have seen Daniel Boico, the Orchestra’s Associate Guest Conductor, delivering infinitely satisfying readings of Beethoven masterworks from the podium. Last evening’s Winter Season opening was no exception, with the maestro leading his orchestra in a riveting account of the Egmont Overture to provide a cracker of a curtain-raiser...The rugged scapes of Borodin’s Symphony No 1 in E flat Major as traversed by Boico and his players proved an epic crowd-pleaser in the second half of the programme. The conductor’s appropriately expansive outlook of the Russian composer’s big-boned early symphonic work paid dividends throughout its duration. The richly eventful first movement culminated in an overriding sense of well-being that offset the quickened pace of the second movement Scherzo, melding into heart-stopping interludes for the oboe, and the cellos, with billowing strings and winds going on to evoke a shimmering, gossamer fine filament of quietness. This settled for a while, before the inevitable counter energy of the final movement Allegro molto vivo set in, carrying aloft the wizardry of Borodin’s unstoppable rhythmic pulse. Magical music-making, for which gratitude was loudly expressed throughout the house."

Copy Dog (June 8, 2018)

William Charlton-Perkins 

"Tremendous Tchaikovsky. Always a joy on the podium, both visually and aurally, conductor Daniel Boico launched the KZN Philharmonic’s Summer Season in the Playhouse Opera on Thursday with a fine account of Liszt’s Les Preludes...the strings silken tone in the quiet interludes, and their keenly alert response to the maestro’s every gesture throughout the wide-ranging trajectory of this dramatic piece... high drama, from passages of brash, raw energy and thrillingly exposed, neo-Wagnerian bombast - with the orchestra’s brass and timpani sections on top form – to a hushed, piquant central interlude, punctuated by a pixie-like interjection from the harp, spreading magically through the winds, before the full orchestra was swept up in a groundswell of climactic fanfares. A magnificent curtain-raiser... electrifying account of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No 4 that brought the evening to a close. Rising out of the gloom of the work’s sombre opening movement, we were transported into a quintessential wonderland of Tchaikovsky melodies in the second movement’s Andantino in modo di canzona.

The third movement Scherzo, marked Pizzicato Ostinato, as rendered by Maestro Boico and his players, must surely rank as one of the composer’s most exquisite masterstrokes, while the fireworks of the finale cannot but drive an audience into a frenzy of exhilaration. A knock-out of a performance, from first to last."

Copy Dog (February 23, 2018)

"The evening opened with the Overture to Rossini’s Italian operatic magnum opus, Semiramide. Boico’s beautifully judged reading of the piece did full justice to this grand-scale prototype of the classic Rossini overture... Highlights from Joseph Haydn’s magnificent oratorio, The Creation, followed in the second half of the evening, with Maestro Boico as ever exercising a galvanizing presence on the podium... extremely accomplished performance from soloists, choir and orchestra alike..."

Artslink (November 17, 2017)

William Charlton-Perkins

"...a dazzling performance by a superlative orchestra which was under the leadership on the night of the ebullient Israeli-born conductor Daniel Boico.  Boico is a regular visitor to our shores and he works very well with the KZNPO. This was particularly the case last night where together they extracted every nuance and subtlety from the music and ensured that Beethoven was delivered with all the drama, passion and gorgeousness one hopes for from the works of the master.

"...Daniel Boico and the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra demonstrated Tuesday evening with a sweeping, cinematic performance of Sergei Rachmaninoff's Symphonic Dance...Israeli-born conductor Daniel Boico was well equipped for the deep Slavic character of the piece...Boico kicked off the work with an intensity and bite reminiscent of another Russian who composed widely for film: Prokofiev. The yearning second subject has the melancholy character of a Russian folk tune, but Boico eschewed vulgarity, sculpting its long line with a clear, dry eye. The stop-and-start waltz of the middle Andante movement...Boico conducted it with the grand, sweeping gestures of a screen maestro. The final movement was an adrenalized rush through the two sides of Rachmaninoff's nature...as the work came to a breathless ending, Boico let the tam tam ring out...It was a thrilling gesture and a bravura performance.

The evening began with Respighi's Trittico Botticelliano...credit Boico with turning the Italian composer's apulian primitivo into vintage Ravellian grand cru Bordeaux...Boico got a full sound from the CSO, colorful but never garish...an enchanting picture and a fitting end to a performance that was full of ideas."

The Chautauquan Daily (August 9, 2017) 

"Mars burst into synchronous staccato from every string player in a truly amazing performance of rhythmic mastery, brooding suspense, and cataclysmic explosions. In the hypnotic pentameter of 5/4, Boico brilliantly welded together overlapping parts with clear and concise gestures, seeming to play the entire orchestra. Jupiter’s arrival on billowing clouds of strings heralded another complex Rubicon of tempo changes and polyrhythms, nimbly navigated by helmsman Boico and a responsive CTPO."

#ClassicalReview (December 1, 2016) 

Andy Wilding

"Boico’s signature exciting tempi and dynamic surprises at phrase endings were a perfect fit for the festive business of Haydn’s London. His clear time keeping ensured synchronous entries from the orchestra that gave the evening a brilliant showcase as an introduction....(in Alexander Nevsky) Boico brought a necessary sense of ruthlessness to the work, fearlessly unleashing the full power of Prokofiev’s unflinching criticism of propaganda that justifies horror as honour."

#ClassicalReview (November 24, 2016) 

"An interesting programme of Russian music opened the eight-concert spring season of the KZN Philharmonic Orchestra, in the Durban City Hall.
The Israeli-American conductor Daniel Boico, an old favourite with audiences here, was on the podium. “He’s so full of life”, somebody sitting near me remarked. Yes, and that’s why he consistently draws fine performances from the 70 players under his direction."

ARTSMART (August 25, 2016) 

Michael Green

"Last night the largest orchestra by far cramped themselves onto the stage of the Endler. The Festival Concert Orchestra (FCO, trained and conducted by Daniel Boico, brought us one of the most diverse and challenging programmes of the festival, reflecting some 150 years of Romantic and Modern Classic works, with some spicy jazz and minimal music added to the musical à la carte menu. In the second movement from Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No.2 in C minor, Opus 17, Andantino marziale, quasi moderato, Boico did far more than manage to keep the music interesting and flowing through his attention to detailed articulation, an orchestral sound which was kept sumptuous without overkill, as well as letting the music speak in its own voice, which in this case means that the particular Ukranian folk song which inspired Tchaikovsky, sounded like one...Three movements from Philip Glass’ Symphony No. 4, “Heroes” fully convinced this listener that a younger generation must have grown up with perhaps a better understanding and a clearer inclination towards minimalist structures. The FCO not only played it with technical mastery, but Boico kept the sound spectrum moving between the various forces...Duke Ellington was featured in two movements from his Suite from his ballet “The River”: Meander and Riba. These brilliantly orchestrated pieces, done by Ron Collier, reflected the atmosphere, drive and impulse one associates with Ellington. Daniel Boico’s movements and perfect timing during this jazzy journey was contagious and the FCO responded with lots of flair. Here most of the brass soloists impressed with their authentic sounds."

Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival (July 11, 2016) 

"Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto no.1 in D major, Opus 19...Soloist Alissa Margulis and her conductor, Daniel Boico, gave us a spectacular demonstration of how to approach the work."

Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival (July 9, 2016) 

Paul Boekkooi

"...His Ravel (Alborada del Gracioso) was scintillating, conveying the timeless allure of a Mediterranean village...Boico’s conducting is bold and sumptuously romantic. Never afraid to pause slightly or take his time describing a particularly beautiful phrase, his tempi are organic and expressive. His communication with the CTPO is excellent: they understand each other well. This could only be true because in many parts of the symphonic work, the timing is off beat and complex, and last Thursday the CTPO handled the corners like a Ferrari – mastering a finicky timing chicane into the final accelerando and coda – what an amazing ride!"

 #ClassicalReview (July 2, 2016) 

Andy Wilding

"Schumann’s fourth symphony was written in 1841 and extensively revised by the composer in 1851. Learned musicologists have complained that Schumann is not a first-rate composer for the orchestra, but nobody in the City Hall audience would have agreed with that notion. With the ceaselessly energetic Daniel Boico on the podium the orchestra gave a wonderfully resonant, full-blooded account of this splendid music, and they were rewarded with a prolonged ovation at the end."

ARTSMART (May 26, 2016) 

Michael Green

"Beethoven's Symphony No. 7 in A major, is one of the greatest of all orchestral works...Daniel Boico conducted the symphony with enormous energy, and the orchestra responded with a big, resonant, exuberant performance. It was a truly exciting experience, and the audience gave the players and the conductor huge applause at the end."

ARTSMART (February 28, 2015) 

Michael Green

"The sound depictions are so vivid that it is no wonder that this set of variations (Varations on a Theme of Frank Bridge, Op. 10) had launched Britten's illustrious career as one of Britain's greatest composers. The string orchestra flourished under the enthusiastic and detailed conducting of Daniel Boico."

Reviews Blog, Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival (July 10, 2014) 

Thys Odendaal

" The concert was a resounding success.  The performances were excellent and the good-sized audience gave enthusiastic applause throughout, and with justification. The visiting Israeli-American conductor, Daniel Boico, who is well known here, contributed greatly to the pleasure of the evening. He has the ability to communicate his enthusiasm not only to the players and singers but also to the audience, and in several of the works performed he showed a well-developed sense of humour."

ARTSMART (June 21, 2014) 

Michael Green

" The KZN Philharmonic's first concert of 2014 presented, to great acclaim from a large audience, music by three Russian composers of the 19th and 20th centuries. The Israeli-born American conductor Daniel Boico, who is well known here, was in splendid form. He is a vigorous and dynamic figure on the podium, and the orchestra responded admirably to his forceful style.  After the interval came a brilliant performance of Tchaikovsky's celebrated Symphony No. 6.  Daniel Boico was totally absorbed as he conveyed to the audience the passion and tragedy of this music, and the orchestra played with great power and commitment.  Conductor and players were given a prolonged ovation at the end of the concert."

ARTSMART (February 22, 2014) 

Michael Green

"Boico sounds like JPO in its glory days... Daniel Boico in his second visit unleashed detail-rich conducting... In Shostakovich' s second cello concerto, Boico and Bruns (cello) intense involvement managed to grab you by the throat and drag your senses in.  Every phrase was invested with so much conviction that it was difficult not to admire.  All four sections of the JPO delivered a refined atmosphere and especially rich playing, including the two harps and the tight playing by the important percussion parts, which made for something special. The performance of the other works of the Russian program recalled the golden years of the JPO. In Tchaikovsky's "Pathetique" Symphony No. 6, it was clear that Boico chose to approach the work with all aspects of thought, without exaggerated excesses, rather than as a programmatic symphony. The opening of the Allegro was wholehearted, with a tremendous degree of involvement and musicianship.  Equally poignant was the final coda.  The remaining three movements of the symphony were equally masterfully built."

BEELD (February 16, 2014) 

Paul Boekkooi

"The program opened with the Fanfare for the Common Man by the twentieth century American composer Aaron Copland... The players excelled, as did the visiting Israeli-American conductor Daniel Boico.  Even better was Gershwin's Piano Concerto in F, with Nina Schumann as soloist... Daniel Boico conducted with great vigor, communicating his enthusiasm to the players...  Brahms's Symphony No. 2 in D major is the most genial and serene of his four symphonies, and Daniel Boico gave it a loving and warm interpretation. The work is full of beautiful melodies, and the exciting climax at the end carried the audience away, judging by the storm of applause that followed.

ARTSMART (May 30, 2013) 

Michael Green

"The concert opened with a crisp and vigorous account of Die Fledernaus Overture by Johann Strauss Jr, and ended with Mozart Symphony No .41 in C major, the "Jupiter".  This majestic work was played with high skill and dedication.  Boico, who has a vigorous podium manner, conducted without a score.  He was obviously immersed in the music, and his intensity was communicated to the players, who responded splendidly, with the orchestra's powerful and disciplined string tone heard to great effect.  This was one of the orchestra's best performances."

ARTSMART (May 16, 2013) 

Michael Green

"...Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor with Yuliana Avdeeva... The conductor, Daniel Boico from New York, was an admirable partner, and the orchestra excelled... Finally, the orchestra performed Georges Bizet's lively and tuneful Symphony No. 1 in C... Daniel Boico is a dynamic kind of conductor, and his vigorous approach was particularly well suited to this exuberant and romantic music."

ARTSMART (February 21, 2013) 

Michael Green

"The concert opened with Mozart's Marriage of Figaro Overture and ended with Tchaikovsky's Orchestral Suite from his Swan Lake Ballet.  The familiar music was given a bright and brilliant presentation under Daniel Boico's sure hand...He has visited Durban several times and is a favorite here. Under his vigorous but sympathetic direction, the orchestra gave a memorable performance that earned an ovation at the end."

ARTSMART (February 14, 2013) 

Michael Green

"Beethoven's Coriolan Overture and Second Symphony...suffused by Boico with crackling intensity, and sustained with focused attention to structure and dynamic differentiation."

Chicago Classical Review (September 9, 2012) 

Michael Cameron

"In conductor Daniel Boico's hands, the score becomes a living artistic and musical organism, where each phrase and thematic utterance is delivered with sensitive, expressive care....This was a performance that did not disappoint. Boico's direction of the ensemble was from the top drawer where outstanding dynamic differentiation, and thematic layering toward climactic points added to the creation of a stellar performance." 

CUE (July 3, 2012) 

Jeffrey Brukman

"The Kwa-Zulu Natal Philharmonic Orchestra...performed the work with elan, responding to conductor Daniel Boico's expressive gestures, attentively and sympathetically.  With commanding podium flamboyance, Boico held the work together with noticeably superior direction over tempo changes, tonal balance, and ensemble cohesion.  The hallmark of this interpretation - expressively shaped phrases and directional scaffolding towards climactic points - made for a memorable occasion." 

CUE (June 29, 2012) 

Jeffrey Brukman

"It was a treat to listen to this rare piece of music so beautifully realized...the orchestra in fine fettle under Boico's inspired and passionate baton." 

KZN Entertainment News & Reviews (June 25, 2012) 

Gisele Turner

"Guest conductor Daniel Boico was the right man for Leonard Bernstein's Ballet suite "Fancy Free"...The orchestra at times bold, at times insightful, but always ever present dialogue partners (Barber Cello Concerto)...The orchestra attained compelling moments, especially in the passages of love songs and near-slient dirge (MacDowell Suite No. 2)" 

Nurnberger Zeitung (February 12, 2012) 

Thomas Heinold

"...Star performer gave special luster to this second concert of the KZN Philharmonic Orchestra's spring season in the Durban City Hall...Boico made a perceptible impact in a wide-ranging program of music by Manuel de Falla, Weber and Brahms.  He is a dynamic and vigorous conductor, and he seemed to have established an excellent rapport with the orchestra...The result was an exciting performance of the second concert suite from Falla's Three-Cornered Hat ballet, culminating in a brilliant account of the final Jota , Spanish music taken to its ultimate level." 

ARTSMART (September 22, 2011) 

Michael Green

"… Mr. Masur was to have conducted the piece again on Wednesday with its original soloists, Cynthia Phelps and Rebecca Young, who make up the first stand of the orchestra’s viola section. But he was suffering, the orchestra said, from an eye infection that prevented him from reading the score. The Philharmonic’s talented assistant conductor, Daniel Boico, stepped in, leading a smoldering performance that featured sensitive and subtle work from Ms. Phelps and Ms. Young."

New York Times (April 14, 2011)
Orchestra Recitations Of 2 Symphonic Poems
Zachary wolfe

"New York Philharmonic/Masur [Les Préludes & Brahms 1 ... Daniel Boico conducts Gubaidulina’s Two Paths with Cynthia Phelps & Rebecca Young]
…Daniel Boico, the New York Philharmonic's Assistant Conductor, would be conducting Sofia Gubaidulina's Two Paths because Kurt Masur was "suffering from a temporary eye infection"…Gubaidulina's Two Paths for a pair of violas and orchestra was composed and premiered in 1999…Boico's impressive, lucid conducting summoned shifting moods, yet the performance presented a work more meditative and assured than when it was premiered, and with far more detail and dynamic contrast."

www.classicalsource.com (April 14, 2011)
Reviewed by: Gene Gaudette

"Kurt Masur was music director of the New York Philharmonic from 1991 to 2002. Since then, he has returned as a guest conductor, as he did in mid-April. He conducted two works: Les Préludes, the tone poem by Liszt, and Brahms’s First Symphony. He did not conduct a third work on the program, Sofia Gubaidulina’s Two Paths, a concerto for two violas. That was taken care of by the Philharmonic’s assistant conductor, Daniel Boico (and taken care of very well, too). Masur conducted the premiere of this concerto in 1999. Why didn’t he conduct this recent performance? A note slipped into our programs told the tale: Owing to an eye infection, he could not read the score. As you might expect, he has the Liszt and the Brahms in memory."

New York chronicle (June 2011)
by Jay Nordlinger

"…Daniel Boico took the podium for the Gubaidulina concerto.  His conducting was almost the polar opposite of Masur's: clear and precise beats for every measure, left hand cues when necessary, and he kept a close eye on the score.  To be fair, these concerts are only the second time the Philharmonic has performed this piece, so everyone in the room was paying extra attention, including Boico.  He had the task of being pressed into service as conductor for this piece at the last minute, and to a neophyte conductor like myself, that seems like a massive challenge.  But what an opportunity!  Boico performed admirably, managing the music and the soloists."

Phil’s Occasional Musings (April 14, 2011)

"…Mr. Masur unable to read sheet music this week. Assistant conductor Daniel Boico stepped in.
Two Paths, inspired by the New Testament figures of Mary and Martha, is a set of seven variations. Mr. Boico juxtaposed jarring brass chords and unusual percussion with otherworldly orchestral textures."

Superconductor (April 15, 2011)
By Paul Pelkonen  Concert Review: Two Paths, Two Rivals, Two Conductors

"…Assistant Conductor Boico and the Philharmonic's Cynthia Phelps and Rebecca Young produced a spellbinding performance of Ms. Gubaidulina's interesting work."

Leonard Link (April 16, 2011)
Masur Back at the NY Philharmonic

"Daniel Boico was ‘making a difference’ thanks to the spectacularly magnetic quality of his gesture, and the commanding force of a musical idea, of an interpretive choice towards which the efforts of the entire orchestra were directed.  His dramatic posture on the podium (always functional to the score and never narcissistic) was accompanied by an interpretation that was at all times imaginative, visual…"

Annely Zeni, Alto Adige

"What is most powerful about Daniel’s two precious renderings is his proven interpretive ability, one that does not force any subjective twists but rather evokes the most discreet charm out of the music score."

Giuseppe Calliari, Spettacoli