While Robert Treviño is confirming his brilliant start as the new Music Director of the Basque National Orchestra, Spain, he is also rapidly becoming the go-to maestro for A-list cancellations and (planned!) debuts with leading orchestras.

Much like his triumphant performance of Mahler's Third Symphony with the London Symphony Orchestra last season (a last-minute call after Daniel Harding's withdrawal), Treviño recently hot-footed it from concerts with the Leipzig Gewandhaus to conduct Mahler's Fifth with the Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra, standing in for an ailing Donald Runnicles at very short notice. As with the LSO, he won over audience and reviewers.

The Neue Zürcher Zeitung reported, "The first of three performances... caused a storm of enthusiasm among the audience... The Tonhalle Orchestra was spurred on by Treviño to a peak performance, proving again the enormous artistic potential it can mobilise with appropriate leadership."

"(Treviño is) clearly a name to watch," agreed Seen And Heard International, "Perfect... This was no ordinary run-through from a conductor who had stepped in at the last minute... Treviño shaped phrases carefully, brought out passages which other conductors do not reach... the orchestra, who all played magnificently, were clearly impressed... The audience yelped with delight at the end and we hope Treviño will be back."
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This echoes the tone of reviews Treviño is winning in Spain (as everywhere, indeed), as Music Director of the Basque National Orchestra. Reviewing his latest concerts there, Klassikbidea wrote, "Treviño is taking this orchestra to very high levels of quality and his appointment is a success that we hope will be extended for many seasons... He approaches music as an active experience, as a journey in which each length is questioned and illuminated... with an imposing charisma on the podium and a deep intelligence... Beyond his security, intelligence and technique, Treviño knows sound and how to control it to extract exquisite dynamics and ranges... Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony seemed to open its secrets to him as if it were a conscious dialogue between two wills. So good... a bright and complete night of music-making."

More and more leading orchestras are noticing. The coming months include returns to the London Philharmonic, Sao Paulo Symphony, Helsinki Philharmonic, Dresden Philharmonic, RTVE Madrid, NDR Hannover, Malmo Symphony, Barcelona Symphony and RTE Dublin among others, and debuts with the Bournemouth Symphony and MDR Leipzig. Recording projects are also in Treviño's plans, with one — yet to be announced — already 'in the can'. It's going to be a busy spring and summer for Treviño — even without any more unplanned step-ins.