In the late 1980s, he was the musical director of a number of amateur choirs, including Wokingham Choral Society, often featuring his future wife, the soprano Joan Rodgers.
He conducted Opera North in its 1992 debut at The Proms with Boris Godunov; as well as the world premieres of Michael Berkeley's Baa, Baa, Black Sheep, and of Benedict Mason's Playing Away at the Munich Biennale, where it won awards for best production and design.
One analysis of this situation was that the additional work distracted Daniel from developing a fuller rapport with the orchestra.
[5] Toward the later part of his tenure, there were also reports of clashes between Daniel and ENO artistic director Sean Doran.
[10] Daniel's work at ENO included the world premiere of Mark-Anthony Turnage's The Silver Tassie, which was recorded for commercial release.
[16] In July 2012, the Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine (ONBA) announced Daniel's appointment as its next music director, effective with the 2013–2014 season.