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

If I were in a position to announce a public competition to coin a new word, I would do so right now.

I love a visceral sound, the kind that hits you in the belly.

Every orchestra I know, every opera house I know, is desperately looking around trying to find new talent, new composing talent, supporting young composers, supporting new ideas, supporting new ways of getting the message across.

I was starting a group of musicians and we had a group of young composers in Finland back in the '70s, and the real conductors, the professional conductors at the time were not interested in our stuff.

I went to work one morning, and outside my door was Cindy Crawford in a black bra, and I thought that very clearly the building is making progress in integrating itself into various layers of our culture.

The Royal Festival Hall in London is nice; people hang out there. I think this inviting, non-exclusive character is very important.