When an artist works today or whenever, it's not about creating immortal masterpieces, because that's the one thing we don't decide ourselves.
Esa-Pekka SalonenThis conducting thing happened. In 1983 I was sucked into this international career, which was a very scary experience.
Esa-Pekka SalonenIf somebody had told me when I was starting composition in Helsinki in the '70s that I would end up in L.A. and to describe that journey, those 17 years with the philharmonic and building the hall and this and that, I would have said, "This is a fairy tale of the first order."
Esa-Pekka SalonenWith American orchestras, in particular, because they play in such huge halls, getting a true pianissimo is very hard.
Esa-Pekka Salonen