“Coorey subjected Bartok’s Miraculous Mandarin Suite to a sophisticated interpretation. He directed very economically and always had everything under total control. He placed the climaxes convincingly and in the quieter passages held the underlying tension.”

“It was an inspired combination: first a contemplation of the vast night sky in Georges Lentz’s Guyhumgan, then the arc of a Finnish horizon in Jean Sibelus’s Symphony No. 5…Under the baton of Matthew Coorey, the Sydney Symphony navigated their way through this stellar exploration with virtuosic intensity.”

“At the podium was Matthew Coorey … this was his U.S. debut and an auspicious one it was … the orchestra played in an exulted manner.”

“This was an impressive Mahler 9 … the LPO’s playing was committed … the final adagio alone made this concert a musical event that I shall remember long into the future … I shall certainly be looking out for more from Mr Coorey.”

“Barely half-an-hour of music, but it was flung out with such intensity it seemed more nourishing than many concerts four times the length.”

“Coorey conjured a clear-sighted, well-versed account … climaxes blazed and the delicate intertwining of chamber music was confident. The 1st movement never dawdled yet took thirty minutes (a little above the average): it seemed less: a compliment. Best, probably, was the slow finale, like the first movement it was persuasively paced and deeply felt.”

“Hugely exhilarating ... Coorey has the capacity to fine-tune an orchestra and get it to play with both weight and precision ... a superb Beethoven 4”

“The tour de force was Bartok’s Miraculous Mandarin suite; Coorey led the orchestra through an exciting performance with unflinching focus.”

“A scintillating evening. From the overture onwards the London Mozart Players under Matthew Coorey made sumptuous work of the buoyant score.”

“An authoritative display from the podium that saw the CBSO in sparkling form all evening. All obviously enjoyed by the players, fully entering into the spirit of the music.”

“One of those rare nights to remember … Coorey demonstrated impeccable Sibelian instincts.”

“One of the most intelligent performances of Strauss’s Don Juan I’ve ever heard … a magnificent reading of Sibelius’s Fifth Symphony … compelling.”

“Coorey is an extremely confident, eloquent precision worker. He conducted Bartok’s Miraculous Mandarin with absolute clarity.”

“Coorey created the lightest of textures, supple rhythms and crisp articulation. This was Rossini at his most delicious and one could taste the opera itself.”

“At the Alte Oper something really happened; a vital, rhythmically precise and full-blooded conversation took place between Matthew Coorey and the Frankfurt Museum’s Orchestra in Bartok’s Miraculous Mandarin Suite.”

“Matthew Coorey was in charge on the night I attended and under his brisk direction the performance fizzed with energy, encouraging singing that had an appealing freshness.”

“One of the most intelligent performances of Strauss’s Don Juan I’ve ever heard … a magnificent reading of Sibelius’s Fifth Symphony … compelling.”

“Coorey’s direction was first rate, the gently overlapping melodies balanced and drawn with translucent finesse into a single, seamless arc of dreamy romance and operatic tension. The engulfing and clamorous washes of Scriabin’s single-movement symphonic poem provided an ecstatic finale. This was a superlative performance... all sections deserved applause for expertly realising the work’s rich hues, achingly sustained climaxes and dense sound layerings.”