Music is a universal thing with no boundaries, whether you play inside or outside.
All of us in the field must remain constantly vigilant and fight against all types of inappropriate and hurtful behavior and continue the essential work of creating a fair and safe work environment for all classical musicians.
Being appointed as the next Gewandhauskapellmeister of the Gewandhausorchester is a completely overwhelming honour. This extraordinary orchestra and its wonderful musicians are unique in so many respects, and particularly in their creation of an exceptional sound world based on outstanding tradition that is, at its heart, inspirational.
The excitement you can get in classical concert is as big, in a different sense, as you can get when you go to the ice hockey or baseball game.
For one person, Haydn is most exciting. Or Bach is the most exciting. For another, it's Carter or Strauss. For me - and for any musician - all of the music is exciting. And if you don't approach it with excitement, we can't be musicians.
You don't have to make a grand, exaggerated sound to sing opera.
The music of Bach is so timeless, so fulfilling. You don't feel like you have to be in front of it. The music has everything, and you are there to find the balance when you conduct. You don't have to give too much of your individuality. It's Bach, so it's dangerous to get in the way.
You have a great result if the orchestra trusts the conductor, and the conductor trusts the orchestra.
On stage, I'm always nervous, but there is so much adrenalin, too. It's strange because I have to turn my back on the audience, and my audience is the orchestra. I communicate my energy to them, and they communicate it to the audience behind me!
I know that Boston is one of the great centers of intellectual culture as well as sport. It's one of the centers of America, with a great orchestra, great sports, great hospitals, and great universities.
For me, the main goal is loving music and experiencing the great music-making with the orchestra, which is the great reason why I conduct, and that is the main goal.
Music is such an important part of society, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra offers such great quality, and we just want to share it.
Music is something you can't really put in terms like in a sport, like running or football - that you win if you score more. In music, there's nothing like that.
It's a dream to be its conductor. Sometimes I think, 'My God, I can't believe it.' It's a dream which came true.
Music goes beyond nationalities - it's a language which you can understand in any country.
When you have a great car, you want people to see the car.
I'm thankful to Deutsche Grammophon, our partners - we are going to record the complete Shostakovich symphonies and hopefully some other things as well.
I'm very proud of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
I think music can change your life.
I want to take the great tradition of the orchestra within me, to take what the orchestra offers.
