There will have to be times when I'm not conducting because I'm composing. I haven't solved that problem, and perhaps I never will.

The music I turn out these days is the kind of music I want to hear myself.

I like this idea of identification with the local team. I think it's great. That's what an orchestra should be. It's an orchestra for its hometown, and it serves the people.

This conducting thing happened. In 1983 I was sucked into this international career, which was a very scary experience.

In Europe, there is so much tradition, and everyone has established ideas as to what art should be and what it has always been.

Los Angeles is just a more open place. The way L.A. functions is that people give you a forum. They say, Show us what you can do.

The philharmonic became such a journey and adventure in my life, and a deeply satisfying thing.