“Swan Lake Conductor Nicolette Fraillon draws a passion and pathos from the Royal Ballet Sinfonia that brings the audience to its feet. A treat for ballet virgins and connoisseurs alike.”
— Jenny Gilbert, The Independent, Cardiff 2005
“Finally, Nicolette Fraillon’s fantastic conducting was a true highlight. Her mastery as a ballet conductor is a joy, with the orchestra breathing with the dancers and bringing the light and shadow to Adolphe Adam’s famous score. (Giselle review 2019)”
— Bachtrack
“The audience knew it was about to witness something special, as soon as the opening chords of the Entr’acte to Act Three of Raymonda were heard. This sparkling rendition by the Opera Australia Orchestra under conductor Nicolette Fraillon set the tone for an evening of high-octane, precision dancing, as David Hallberg unveiled his third program as Artistic Director of the Australian Ballet.”
— Limelight Magazine
“A final tribute must go to the orchestra, conducted by Nicolette Fraillon (until recently the chief conductor of Australian ballet), giving outstanding performances of Schubert’s String Quartet in C, Tchaikovsky’s gorgeous third symphony and the Richter pieces. (Norwegian National Ballet 2024)”
— Bachtrack
“Maestro Nicolette Fraillon again demonstrates the unflappable versatility of her musical talent, seamlessly taking Orchestra Victoria on a journey through classical works by Beethoven, Gluck and Purcell through to modern pieces from Arvo Pärt and Ólafur Arnalds. (2022)”
— Man in Chair (Melbourne)
“Romeo and Juliet Finally, the last performance of Romeo and Juliet in the Sydney season was also the last for Nicolette Fraillon as TAB music director after two decades in the role. Her influence on music-making and scholarship over such a sustained period has been transformative.”
— Deborah Jones 2022 FollowSpot
“Cinderella …..their amplitude and fresh collective energy enhanced no end by the company music director Nicolette Fraillon’s sharp yet sensitive conducting of the English National Opera Orchestra.”
— Donald Hutera The Times, London Coliseum
“The contours of Delibes’s luscious score find luminous vitality under Nicolette Fraillon’s baton, while Welch’s integration of action and music includes matching martial Wagnerian passages with Artemis’s female warriors.”
— Eamonn Kelly, The Australian 2019
“Khachaturian’s score for Spartacus is one of the most epic of all ballet scores. Huge brass forces blast military fanfares and low strings and oboes lilt in the quieter, poignant, romantic moments. The score is alive with folk melodies and a frenetic energy. While it is a strikingly modern sound world, there is an abundance of thrilling melodies throughout the score from the intensely sensual to the ribald. The Opera Australia Orchestra was conducted by Nicolette Fraillon and played magnificently throughout the piece handling the rapid changes of pace and volume smoothly. Fraillon was equally able to whip the orchestra into an orgiastic frenzy one moment and then spin out a lush passionate line the next. Particular kudos goes to the brass section who played tremendously throughout the evening.”
